September 12, 2025
Ministry of Defence v AB [2012] UKSC 9 (14 March 2012)
Veterans of British nuclear tests claimed injuries from radiation exposure. The Supreme Court considered whether their claims were time-barred under the Limitation Act 1980, specifically examining when 'knowledge' of attributability arose for limitation purposes. The majority held that subjective belief could constitute knowledge, dismissing the appeals. Facts Between 1952 and 1958, the Ministry of Defence conducted 21 thermonuclear device tests in Australia and the South Pacific, involving approximately 22,000 servicemen. Many veterans subsequently developed illnesses, including cancers, which they attributed to radiation exposure during the tests. A group of over 1,000 claimants commenced proceedings, with nine lead cases selected for
