High Court Success for Ivan Bowley, Instructed by Madelene Holdsworth of Slater Gordon, In Mesothelioma Claim.

Ivan Bowley of Lincoln House Chambers has secured a significant High Court success in a complex industrial disease claim concerning asbestos exposure.

Ivan was instructed by Madelene Holdsworth of Slater and Gordon in McNally v Gentoo Group Ltd [2026] EWHC 750 (KB), in which the Claimant successfully established that he was suffering from mesothelioma caused by occupational asbestos exposure.

The case centred on a 66-year-old former painter and decorator who had been exposed to asbestos over many years during his employment with a local authority. He later developed a pleural tumour, with initial investigations producing conflicting results as to whether the condition was mesothelioma or lung cancer.

While breach of duty had already been established and damages agreed, the key issue for the High Court was one of medical causation and diagnosis. The court was required to weigh detailed expert evidence from leading chest physicians and histopathologists on both sides.

Ultimately, the court preferred the Claimant’s expert evidence, supported by further molecular testing, and concluded that the diagnosis was mesothelioma. This finding was critical in securing the Claimant’s entitlement to damages.

This case highlights the increasingly sophisticated medical and scientific issues arising in asbestos litigation, particularly where diagnostic uncertainty exists. It also demonstrates the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach, combining clinical, radiological and histopathological evidence in resolving complex causation disputes.

Ivan specialises in high-value industrial disease and asbestos-related claims and is widely recognised for his expertise in handling technically demanding cases involving complex issues of causation and liability.