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Harry Steinberg KC and Aliyah Akram have achieved a groundbreaking agreement in this group action on behalf of thousands of military personnel.

Landmark settlement announced against MoD re Noise Induced Hearing Loss group claim

Harry Steinberg KC and Aliyah Akram have achieved a groundbreaking agreement in this group action on behalf of thousands of military personnel who suffered noise induced hearing loss whilst in service. The settlement was approved by the High Court on Monday 8 July.

Working with Simon Ellis and the Military team at Hugh James Solicitors, Harry and Aliyah negotiated this landmark agreement in which the MoD has made significant concessions on issues of limitation and duty of care. Since the MoD accepts that the Hugh James group of claimants have been negligently exposed to excessive noise during service, thousands of former servicemen and women will now be able to claim compensation for their injury.

The agreement follows seminal decisions in Barry v MoD [2023] EWHC 459 (KB) and Inglis v MoD [2019] EWHC (QB), in which Harry, again instructed by Hugh James, obtained substantial damages awards for former Royal Marines whose hearing loss was likely to cause thousands of pounds of loss of earnings.

Future noise induced hearing loss claims

Harry, Aliyah and a team of counsel represent thousands more military personnel who have sustained noise induced hearing loss and tinnitus as a result of excessive exposure to noise in service. Issues of causation and quantum which remain in dispute are due to be decided at a trial of the lead claimants in autumn 2025 before Mr Justice Garnham.

Military claims in the media

This legal battle and the latest decision has recieved significant media attention:

The decisions in Barry v MoD and Inglis v MoD were also widely reported by the BBC – Former Royal Marine wins £700,000 over hearing loss and Plymouth marine wins £500k for hearing loss.

Further information

Harry Steinberg KC is known for high value and high-profile personal injury litigation with a focus on head injury and fatal claims. Much of his work has an international law aspect and/or involves large groups. He acts for thousands of former and serving military personnel in three group claims involving military deafness, cold injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Harry has been described as “second-to-none” by Legal 500 UK and “a highly skilled practitioner known for his representation of large claimant groups” by Chambers & Partners.

Aliyah Akram is well known for her work on group litigation claims and has been involved in some of the largest group actions ever brought in the UK including the abovementioned group claims brought by military personnel against the Ministry of Defence for personal injury whilst in service. Many of her cases have an international aspect and she is also a specialist in industrial and environmental disease litigation. Aliyah is shortlisted in the Legal 500 Bar Awards 2024 as Personal Injury Junior of the Year.

To find out more about Harry and Aliyah, contact Paul Barton on +44 (0)20 7427 4907.

News 15 Jul, 2024

Authors

Harry Steinberg

Harry Steinberg KC

Call: 1997 Silk: 2016

Aliyah Akram

Call: 2012

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