Legal costs of £105m include £9.7m insurance policy
The law firm, Leigh Day, that acted for 30,000 Africans against the oil trading giant Trafigura claimed £105m in costs yesterday, including a £9.7m after the event insurance policy, the Times reports.
Trafigura’s QC Sean Wilken said the total costs topped the largest known figure previously claimed — £73m in the 12-year BCCI case. Trafigura’s costs were just £14m.
The lawyers brought a claim on behalf of 30,000 residents over the dumping of toxic waste off the Ivory Coast near Abidjan from the ship Probo Koala.
Settled
The action was settled and it was agreed that the waste was dumped by an independent third party without Trafigura’s knowledge; and that the toxic slops did not cause death or serious illness as originally alleged but only short-term, low-level, flu-like symptoms, the Times said.
The law firm is also claiming a 100% uplift on its ordinary fees.
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