Nina Unthank reports on why & how military veterans lost their latest battle
The Court of Appeal’s judgment in Ministry of Defence v AB & Ors [2010] EWCA Civ 1317, [2010] All ER (D) 252 (Nov) was handed down last month. Between 1952 and 1958, the British Government carried out 21 atmospheric nuclear tests of thermonuclear devices in the region of the Pacific Ocean.
Some involved fission bombs and some fusion bombs. Some were exploded high above the Pacific Ocean; others were exploded at or a little above ground level. All of them will have given rise to radioactive fallout and what is known as ‘the prompt radiation effect’. All three branches of the armed forces took part with some 22,000 servicemen being involved. A group of 1011 claimants comprising mainly former UK servicemen brought actions, claiming damages for the adverse consequences to their health which they alleged resulted from exposure to ionising radiation deriving from the tests. A group litigation order was made.
The parties agreed that there should be a preliminary
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