Thursday, 17 January 2008

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Leslie Ash wins £5m payout over hospital superbug claims

Actress agrees settlement after deciding not to take case to court

Leslie Ash will receive £5m in compensation after contracting a superbug while in hospital.

The actress, 47, was admitted to the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for treatment of a punctured lung and 2 crack ribs in April 2004 but caught MSSA, a strain of the deadly MRSA infection, and almost died.

Leslie was expected to receive a maximum of £500,000 but her lawyers have thrashed out a record settlement with the NHS, after the hospital admitted breach of duty.

The huge payout reflects her potential loss in earnings and the award could well have been more had the case gone to court.

Yesterday, the Men Behaving Badly star's legal team defended the payout.

‘This is a significant settlement which recognises that Leslie had been seriously injured,' said lawyer Janice Gardner.

Leslie now can only walk with the help of a walking stick.

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