In what has been hailed a major breakthrough, law firm Hugh James has announced that The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has agreed to drop legal defences that in the past may have hindered armed forces personnel from securing compensation in noise-induced hearing loss claims.

The MoD has reached settlement terms with law firm Hugh James which means that it will no longer dispute that it owes a duty of care to members of the armed forces who have suffered hearing loss while in service.

For cases dealt with by Hugh James, the MoD has also agreed to abandon its defence of ‘limitation’ which prevented some claims from succeeding because they were brought too late.  It has also dropped its defence based on the level of noise claimants were exposed to during their service.

This means that clients of Hugh James will now only have to prove that any hearing loss occurred during their time in service.

For claimants represented by other firms, the MoD has reserved the right not to offer the same terms, but this must be seen by claimants as a ground-breaking development that will mean thousands more ex-servicemen and women will receive compensation.

Members of the armed forces are regularly exposed to loud noises that cause damage to their hearing and they may be entitled to a military hearing loss claim.

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