The former stonemason was diagnosed with silicosis in 2019 but his claim for compensation is being dragged out because one of the companies he is suing — Israel-based Caesarstone — has hidden behind the war in Gaza, his lawyer claims.
"The war in Gaza … has apparently caused them not to be able to discover digital documents in Israel for the benefit of an Australian proceeding," Mr Walsh told 7.30. Lawyer Jonathon Walsh says he is reminded of the early asbestos cases when it comes to seeking compensation for silicosis."A few hundred items of documents produced by Caesarstone were in Hebrew when they were discoveredto us, and it was a tortuous process to try and get them translated into English," Mr Walsh said.
It said it would settle some claims but "vigorously defend" others, with its total exposure estimated to be about $US25.7 million . "You can wear your mask as much as you want, but as soon as you stop cutting and you take off your mask, the dust is still there," he said.