Anglo South Africa settles silicosis case with 23 gold miners

Details of the settlement are confidential although Richard Meeran, the London-based lawyer who first brought the suit against the global mining giant in 2004, said he and his clients were "very happy" with the deal.

Anglo American sold off its gold assets over a decade ago but this suit and similar initiatives are based on its past as a bullion producer.

The firm said the settlement involved no admission of liability and was in the best interests of the plaintiffs, their families and the company.

"Technically, no legal precedent has been set but the fact of this settlement sends a signal," Meeran told a news conference in Johannesburg. "This settlement today shows that the writing is on the wall for the industry."

Of the 23 initial claimants, eight have already died of silicosis, an illness caused by the inhalation of tiny particles of silica dust from gold-bearing rocks over many years without adequate protection.

It causes shortness of breath, a persistent cough and chest pains, and makes its victims highly susceptible to tuberculosis.

Read More: in.reuters.com/article/2013/09/25/us-angloamerican-silicosis-idINBRE98O0GH20130925