Latest news with #KPLaw
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Harrods challenges survivors' law firm's compensation cut
Harrods is urging lawyers acting for the largest group of survivors of abuse perpetrated by its former owner to reconsider plans to swallow a significant chunk of claimants' compensation payouts in fees. Sky News has learnt that KP Law, which is acting for hundreds of potential clients under the banner Justice for Harrods, is proposing to take up to 25% of compensation awards in exchange for handling their cases. In many cases, that is likely to mean survivors foregoing sums worth of tens of thousands of pounds to KP Law, which says it is working for hundreds of people who suffered abuse committed by Mohamed al Fayed. Money latest: Under a redress scheme outlined by the London-based department store on Monday, which confirmed earlier reports by Sky News, claimants will be eligible for general damages awards of up to £200,000, depending upon whether they agree to a psychiatric assessment arranged by Harrods. In addition, other payments could take the maximum award to an individual under the scheme to £385,000. A document published online names several law firms which have agreed to represent Mr al Fayed's victims without absorbing any of their compensation payments. KP Law is not among those firms. Theoretically, if Justice for Harrods members are awarded compensation in excess of the sums proposed by the company, KP Law could stand to earn many millions of pounds from its share of the payouts. A Harrods spokesperson told Sky News on Tuesday: "The purpose of the Harrods Redress Scheme is to offer financial and psychological support to those who choose to enter the scheme, rather than as a route to criminal justice. "With a survivor-first approach, it has been designed by personal injury experts with the input of several legal firms currently representing survivors. "Although Harrods tabled the scheme, control of the claim is in the hands of the survivors who can determine at any point to continue, challenge, opt out or seek alternative routes such as mediation or litigation. "Our hope is that everyone receives 100% of the compensation awarded to them but we understand there is one exception among these law firms currently representing survivors who is proposing to take up to 25% of survivors' compensation. "We hope they will reconsider given we have already committed to paying reasonable legal costs." Responding to the publication of the scheme on Monday, KP Law criticised it as inadequate, saying it "does not go far enough to deliver the justice and accountability demanded by our clients". "This is not solely a question of compensation but about justice and exposing the systematic abuse and the many people who helped to operate it for the benefit of Mohamed al Fayed and others." Seeking to rebut the questions raised by Harrods about its fee structure, KP Law told Sky News: "KP Law is committed to supporting our clients through the litigation process to obtain justice first and foremost as well as recovering the maximum possible damages for them. "This will cover all potential outcomes for the case. "Despite the Harrods scheme seeking to narrow the potential issues, we believe that there are numerous potential defendants in a number of jurisdictions that are liable for what our clients went through, and we are committed to securing justice for our client group. "KP Law is confident that it will recover more for its clients than what could be achieved through the redress scheme established by Harrods, which in our view is inadequate and does not go far enough to compensate victims of Mr al Fayed." The verbal battle between Harrods and KP Law underlines the fact that the battle for compensation and wider justice for survivors of Mr al Fayed remains far from complete. The billionaire, who died in 2023, is thought to have sexually abused hundreds of women during a 25-year reign of terror at Harrods. He also owned Fulham Football Club and Paris's Ritz Hotel. Harrods is now owned by a Qatari sovereign wealth fund controlled by the Gulf state's ruling family. The redress scheme commissioned by the department store is being coordinated by MPL Legal, an Essex-based law firm. Last October, lawyers acting for victims of Mr al Fayed said they had received more than 420 enquiries about potential claims, although it is unclear how many more have come forward in the six months since.
Sky News
01-04-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Harrods challenges survivors' law firm's compensation cut
Harrods is urging lawyers acting for the largest group of survivors of abuse perpetrated by its former owner to reconsider plans to swallow a significant chunk of claimants' compensation payouts in fees. Sky News has learnt that KP Law, which is acting for hundreds of potential clients under the banner Justice for Harrods, is proposing to take up to 25% of compensation awards in exchange for handling their cases. In many cases, that is likely to mean survivors foregoing sums worth of tens of thousands of pounds to KP Law, which says it is working for hundreds of people who suffered abuse committed by Mohamed al Fayed. Under a redress scheme outlined by the London-based department store on Monday, which confirmed earlier reports by Sky News, claimants will be eligible for general damages awards of up to £200,000, depending upon whether they agree to a psychiatric assessment arranged by Harrods. In addition, other payments could take the maximum award to an individual under the scheme to £385,000. A document published online names several law firms which have agreed to represent Mr al Fayed's victims without absorbing any of their compensation payments. KP Law is not among those firms. Theoretically, if Justice for Harrods members are awarded compensation in excess of the sums proposed by the company, KP Law could stand to earn many millions of pounds from its share of the payouts. 6:34 A Harrods spokesperson told Sky News on Tuesday: "The purpose of the Harrods Redress Scheme is to offer financial and psychological support to those who choose to enter the scheme, rather than as a route to criminal justice. "With a survivor-first approach, it has been designed by personal injury experts with the input of several legal firms currently representing survivors. "Although Harrods tabled the scheme, control of the claim is in the hands of the survivors who can determine at any point to continue, challenge, opt out or seek alternative routes such as mediation or litigation. "Our hope is that everyone receives 100% of the compensation awarded to them but we understand there is one exception among these law firms currently representing survivors who is proposing to take up to 25% of survivors' compensation. 5:14 "We hope they will reconsider given we have already committed to paying reasonable legal costs." Responding to the publication of the scheme on Monday, KP Law criticised it as inadequate, saying it "does not go far enough to deliver the justice and accountability demanded by our clients". "This is not solely a question of compensation but about justice and exposing the systematic abuse and the many people who helped to operate it for the benefit of Mohamed Al Fayed and others." Seeking to rebut the questions raised by Harrods about its fee structure, KP Law told Sky News: "KP Law is committed to supporting our clients through the litigation process to obtain justice first and foremost as well as recovering the maximum possible damages for them. "This will cover all potential outcomes for the case. "Despite the Harrods scheme seeking to narrow the potential issues, we believe that there are numerous potential defendants in a number of jurisdictions that are liable for what our clients went through, and we are committed to securing justice for our client group. "KP Law is confident that it will recover more for its clients than what could be achieved through the redress scheme established by Harrods, which in our view is inadequate and does not go far enough to compensate victims of Mr Al-Fayed." The verbal battle between Harrods and KP Law underlines the fact that the battle for compensation and wider justice for survivors of Mr al Fayed remains far from complete. The billionaire, who died in 2023, is thought to have sexually abused hundreds of women during a 25-year reign of terror at Harrods. He also owned Fulham Football Club and Paris's Ritz Hotel. Harrods is now owned by a Qatari sovereign wealth fund controlled by the Gulf state's ruling family. The redress scheme commissioned by the department store is being coordinated by MPL Legal, an Essex-based law firm. Last October, lawyers acting for victims of Mr al Fayed said they had received more than 420 enquiries about potential claims, although it is unclear how many more have come forward in the six months since.
The Guardian
04-02-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Thousands to sue Johnson & Johnson in UK over alleged talc link to cancer
Lawyers representing 3,500 British claimants are preparing to sue the pharmaceutical firm Johnson & Johnson (J&J) over alleged links between talcum powder and cancer, in what is expected to be one of the largest pharmaceutical product group actions in English and Welsh legal history. They claim that thousands of women and some men contracted cancers after using J&J talcum powder products that had been contaminated with asbestos. The specialist legal firm KP Law alleges that the US-based multinational knew as early as the 1970s that its talc products contained dangerous asbestos but failed to warn consumers and carried on selling the products in the UK until 2022. It is making preparations to file papers this month at the high court in London, after it says J&J failed to respond to a letter of claim filed in August 2024. The number of British-based claimants has soared from 1,900 represented by the firm just last November. They include many cases of ovarian cancer and smaller numbers who have contracted mesothelioma and peritoneal cancer. J&J has been the subject of long-running lawsuits in the US over similar allegations of cancer links to talc, which it disputes. The firm has proposed paying billions of dollars to settle almost 60,000 US claims, while continuing to deny that its products have caused cancer. This will be the first time the company has faced a legal challenge on the issue in a British court. Tom Longstaff, a partner at KP Law who is leading the UK case, said: 'All the claimants who have sustained cancer after using J&J's talcum powder products have experienced a life-changing illness. In some cases they have died from their cancer, leaving their families devastated. All of these innocent individuals deserve justice.' A spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson said: 'We sympathise deeply with people who suffer from cancer and understand that they and their families want answers, but the robust science shows that use of our talc-based powder does not cause cancer. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion 'For over a decade, lawyers in the United States have created unfounded confusion and unnecessary fear about talc, an ingredient that has been used safely in foods, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and consumer products for decades. It is clear that lawyers are now seeking to exploit cancer patients and their families in the United Kingdom by spreading this same fear. 'We stand behind the safety of talc-based Johnson's baby powder. Decades of testing by medical experts at leading institutions in the UK and around the world using the most state-of-the-art testing protocols demonstrates that the product is safe, does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer.'
