An orchestra has been found liable for hearing damage caused to one of its cello players after a nine-year legal process, news agency ANP reports.

A court in Arnhem on Thursday said the Gelders Orkest should pay damages to the cello player, who first discovered he had hearing damage in 1996. He played for the orchestra from 1974 to 2005.
The cellist was first awarded damages nine years ago, but the case went to appeal. His lawyer said the money was not important. It is a ‘question of principle’, the lawyer was quoted as saying.
The FNV general workers union said the case established that orchestras should do more to protect musicians. For example, the volume of sound could be reduced at rehearsals, seating arrangements could be swapped and there could be more variation in loud and quiet passages, ANP reported.