Court denies delayed payments to Astrasol plaintiffs

Nicosia District court on Tuesday denied the attorney general’s request for the government to delay paying plaintiffs who successfully sued a shoe factory for causing them health issues, pending an appeal to the supreme court.

The court awarded damages to 22 plaintiffs and found Astrasol shoe sole factory in Latsia guilty for toxic gas emissions and for causing cancer to nearby residents.

Two of the 22 plaintiffs have demanded their damages to be paid before the appeal, with one of the two cases totalling €223,000.

This latter case involves underage Stavros Chrysanthou, who has leukaemia and was awarded €100,000, his father Thephanes Chrysanthou, who was awarded €118,470 for his son’s treatment in America including the cost of tickets and loss of income. Constantina Barka, the mother of the 11-year-old boy was awarded with €5,000.

The attorney general requested compensation be delayed in case the appeal rules in favour of the defendants.

The court’s initial decision in December 2017 found Astrasol shoe sole factory guilty of using an excessive amount of dichloromethane R40, a chemical classified as ‘likely to be carcinogenic in humans’.

It found the factory, the state, the company itself and the company’s director Phoevos Liasis were responsible for its operation.

The plaintiffs had the right to demand their compensation from any of the three defendants and chose to seek their money from the state.

Following the satisfaction of their request, the other 20 plaintiffs can now demand their money from the state.

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