SHOPS have been ordered to pay up to £20m to thousands of people who received chemical burns from their ‘toxic’ sofas.
A court hearing yesterday paved the way for those injured after buying the sofas from chains including Argos to receive compensation.
It’s something which has been welcomed by a top solicitor representing several Huddersfield clients.
Some suffered burns and rashes after buying sofas laced with toxic chemicals.
Deborah Allen, of Raleys Solicitors, said the ruling was a step closer to justice.
She said: “A lot of people suffered a lot of discomfort, distress and inconvenience because they were unlucky enough to buy a sofa contaminated with a banned substance.
“Argos, Homebase, Walmsleys and several smaller companies have already admitted liability for injuries suffered by customers who bought sofas at their stores.
“This ruling was basically to set a tariff on what these companies will have to pay out in compensation. The claimants in these cases can now expect to receive between £1,200 and £9,000 plus extra to cover expenses such as loss of earnings.”
Deborah added that the ruling applied to around half of all cases brought to date nationally. The remaining cases are still subject to further investigation after Land of Leather denied that sofas made by one manufacturer were ever contaminated with toxic chemicals.
