Armley asbestos disaster
The contamination was the result of the activities of a local asbestos factory, part of the Turner & Newall (T&N) group (often referred to by the name of its founders, J. W. Roberts Ltd.) and occurred between the end of the 19th century and 1959 when the factory eventually closed. At its peak the factory had 250 employees. At least 300 former employees are believed to have died from asbestos-related illnesses, and a number of cancer deaths in the Armley area were traced to the factory in 1988 as a result of an investigation by the "Yorkshire Evening Post". The estate was found to have the highest incidence in the country of mesothelioma. As the interval between exposure and diagnosis can be up to 50 years the number of further deaths which may occur due to the factory's emissions or residual dust since its closure cannot be predicted.
Jim Ferraro
After graduating from law school in 1983, Ferraro worked briefly for a civil litigation defense firm. On May 13, 1985 he opened his own mass tort litigation practice, The Ferraro Law Firm, where he began working to represent blue-collar workers such as workers that had been exposed to asbestos. By 1990 his firm was representing thousands of blue collar workers. On June 15, 1997 he opened a second law firm, Kelley & Ferraro, along with Michael V. Kelley in Cleveland, Ohio. The two firms combined have handled over 50,000 asbestos cases, as well as nationwide environmental toxic tort cases.