Geico: court ruling opens way for insurance claims
The court placed insurance liability at the time an employee was exposed to asbestos, not when symptoms appeared.
Relatives of workers who died of the cancer mesothelioma want to make claims on policies dating from the 1940s.
One insurance firm in the case said the ruling was not its "favoured outcome" but welcomed the clarity it brought.
The Association of British Insurers welcomed the ruling, and blamed a small group of insurers for the legal battle.
The Supreme Court was asked to rule on the issue after judges in lower courts failed to agree.
Families had a success in 2008, when the High Court said firms' insurers at the time workers inhaled fibres were liable.