Business interruption (BI) losses in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic have been considered in three recent judgments of Butcher J: Stonegate Pub Company v MS Amlin [2022] EWHC 2548 (Comm) (Stonegate) Greggs PLC v Zurich Insurance PLC [2022] EWHC 2545 (Comm) (Greggs) Various Eateries Trading Ltd v Allianz [2022] EWHC 2549 (Comm) (Various Eateries) … Read more

By Mark Darwin and Laurence Terret A policyholder claim for negligence against its insurance broker has failed on the issue of causation even though it proved the broker had been negligent.[1]  The decision in Flanagan v Bernasconi[2]  is an important reminder that to succeed in actions for professional negligence, it is not sufficient to simply prove a … Read more

The judgment in Quadra v XL [2022] EWHC 431 is notable as the first to consider the application of s.13A Insurance Act 2015 relating to the implied term that insurance claims must be paid within a reasonable time. The judgment also provides some clarity as to what constitutes an insurable interest. Read more

In Corbin & King v AXA Insurance Plc [2022] EWHC 409 (Comm), the High Court considered the scope of cover provided by a Prevention of Access clause for Covid-19 business interruption losses. While the Divisional Court in the Covid-19 business interruption test case (the FCA Test Case) had generally found that Prevention of Access clauses did not provide cover in these circumstances, the Court in this case was able to distinguish the clauses considered previously so that the wording in this case could be looked at afresh. The Court found that Covid-19 was a "danger" and that the Prevention of Access clause in the case provided localised cover but one which was capable of extending to disease. Adopting the Supreme Court's approach to causation in the FCA Test Case, the Prevention of Access clause did provide cover for the business interruption losses suffered as a result of the pandemic. Read more

We are pleased to share with you our Insurance and Reinsurance Disputes Annual Review of 2021 which provides an overview and analysis of the key cases and developments affecting those engaged in or with contentious matters in the insurance and reinsurance market. Read more

In Spire Healthcare Limited v Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Limited [2022] EWCA Civ 17, the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court's decision and held that two groups of claims based on the negligent practice of the same surgeon should be aggregated. Irrespective of which group the claims fell into, the unifying factor between them was the surgeon's dishonest improper conduct. Read more

The Court of Appeal has handed down its decision in ABN Amro Bank N.V. v Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance plc and others [2021] EWCA Civ 1789.  At first instance, the court had found that an “unusual” and “unprecedented” clause provided credit risk cover in an all risks marine cargo policy. Most of the decision … Read more

The High Court has considered again the issue of non-disclosure of criminal charges against an innocent insured and found that an insurer could avoid a policy under the Insurance Act 2015 (the 2015 Act): Berkshire Assets (West London) Ltd v AXA Insurance UK Plc [2021] EWHC 2689 (Comm). This is understood to be one of the first avoidance judgments for breach of the duty of fair presentation under the 2015 Act. The insurer in this case was assisted by an internal practice note which showed it did not have authority to write the risk had it been told about the non-disclosure at the time of placement. Read more