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Funding Litigation with Legal Expenses Insurance
13 November 2001 • Lloyd’s • Insurance liability consultant Nick Stanbury (formerly of the Legal Protection Group and Syndicate 702) provides a comprehensive overview of the structure and operation of this uncertain and topical..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
SVB faces loss
Despite a rise in gross premiums from £295.5mn to £413.7mn, Lloyd’s syndicate SVB has posted an interim operating loss of £327m. This came chiefly from syndicate 1212 arising from US professional indemnity business, US..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
US attacks trigger formation of new insurer
In the wake of the destruction of the World Trade Center and resultant shrinkage of insurance capacity with an expected upmove of premium levels, Marsh & McLennan has formed a new Bermuda-based insurer, Axis Specialty.
With an expected capital..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
World Trade Center ‘occurrence’ clash looms
A major confrontation is developing as World Trade Center leaseholder Larry Silverstein seeks US$7.2bn from his insurers. Rejecting his approach that the crash into each tower constituted a ‘separate occurrence’, they argue the..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Regulators relax requirements
Following moves by US regulators to check the financial strength of Lloyd’s and London market insurers, lobbying from both has led to relaxation of funding requirements.
The normal 100% of gross liability funding demanded from foreign..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Lloyd’s takes measured approach
Lloyd’s 108 syndicates – well involved in the insurance of all four aircraft used in the attacks of 11 September, as well as a share of the World Trade Center – took time to make their first estimate of exposure so as to avoid the..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
A joint partnership approach
With the introduction of the government’s Revitalising Health & Safety strategy, occupational health has been placed firmly on the agenda for employers.
Meredith Tweedie of AIG Medical & Rehabilitation examines how a combined..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Rail debacle
The furore over the government’s placing of Railtrack into ‘railway administration’ under the Railways Act of 1993 has led to the usual scattergun threats of litigation.
Potential targets for the 300,000 shareholders –..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Black Sea crash
The cause of the midair explosion over the Black Sea of a Russian passenger Tupolev-154 charter flight from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk, with the loss of 78 passengers and crew, has been admitted to have been a S200 antiaircraft missile during Ukrainian..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
SAS plane crashes on takeoff at Milan
Deaths from the crash of a Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) McDonnell Douglas MD-87, while taking off in fog at Milan’s smaller Linate airport, total 118 – 104 passengers, six crew, four baggage handlers and the pilot and three..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Massive increase in marine liability premiums
..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Erika: responsibility of charterer?
TotalFinaElf (TFE) and a number of its senior executives are to be charged in a French court for marine pollution and complicity in endangering human life following the loss of the Erika
tanker in 1999.
Formal notification will be given next month..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
AZF chemical explosion
At least 29 people died, hundreds were injured and buildings damaged for several kilometres around by an explosion at the Grande Paroisse (TotalFinaElf subsidiary) AZF fertiliser factory in Toulouse on 21 September.
Talk of terrorism has been..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Mould issues spread
Along with the release of data from the Texas Department of Insurance showing a 600% increase in mould claims over the past 18 months, comes its proposal to cap basic mould coverage under homeowners’ policies at US$5,000. Any higher level of..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
When ‘detriment’ becomes discrimination
A woman chief inspector’s claim of ‘detriment’ when her superior officer decided that she should no longer conduct staff appraisals – although without demotion or loss of pay – was rejected.This was in line with the..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Awards and settlements
Disfiguration from ear piercing, leading to collapse of ear
and need for further reconstructive surgery, sees damages of £13,900.
Healey v H Warner • Barnsley County Court •
The Times/
The Telegraph • 6 October 2001
Delay..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Former Names to appeal High Court ruling
Some 220 former Lloyd’s Names have been given leave to appeal last November’s High Court ruling. This cleared Lloyd’s of alleged fraud in concealing the extent of asbestos loss risks. Hearings are due to start in January 2002...
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
World Trade Center claims moratorium
As the first month’s lawyer-led moratorium on claims from the destruction of the World Trade Center comes to an end, defendant and plaintiff lawyers are calling for a mechanism for out-of-court compensation.
At the same time the first suits..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Consolidation of World Trade Center claims?
Following the Airline Bill’s speedy order for exclusive jurisdiction over all air-related World Trade Center suits to an as-yet-unspecified judge in a Manhattan District Court, legal and political thought is addressing the full range of..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Legal aid for inquests
The Legal Services Commission has issued draft guidance on proposals for legal aid funding for individuals to be represented at inquests. Claimants and their lawyers will welcome this additional aid to seeking evidence for use in subsequent..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Annual reports
Among recommendations to be put to the government from the inquiry headed by Denise Kingsmill, head of the Competition Commission, are additional reportage of staff matters in companies’ annual reports.
In particular, this would include..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
OSS improves claims processing
In the first seven months of this year the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors (OSS) received 27% less complaints than in the same period last year and met all targets for turn-around of cases in July.
Since January this year 56% of complaints..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Professional indemnity insurance report
The latest Advanced Studies report dealing with professional indemnity insurance has been published, providing a reference text addressing points of concern and looking to the future.
Giving a summary of legal liabilities and policy wordings, it..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Structured settlements in Australia
Legislation has been announced by Australia’s assistant treasurer enabling compensation for personal injury to be paid through tax-free structured settlements. The detail has been developed in conjunction with the Structured Settlements Group..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Top lawyers’ ‘mutual’?
..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Abbey Legal Protection raises ATE premiums
While arguments rage around many aspects of after-the-event insurance premiums, Abbey Legal Protection, provider for the Law Society’s Accident Line, has restructured – upwards – on the basis of experience.
The cheapest cover has..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Claims Direct introduces three types of policy
Claims Direct has confirmed its intention to introduce three types of policy early next year, replacing the standard £1,250 product.
Simple and undisputed claims, such as car rear-end collisions, would be covered for £500, with two higher..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Double protection?
The proliferation of ‘bolt-on’ legal protection insurance covering uninsured loss recovery, offered by insurers, brokers and motoring organisations and sometimes provided as a standard benefit with credit and other cards, can present..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
ATE challenged as consumer credit
A challenge to after-the-event (ATE) insurance, citing the Consumer Credit Act, is due for judicial consideration probably before the end of the year.
Action by motor insurer Highway, Tilby v Perfect Pizza
, is the leader of a group of similar..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
MoD seeks new insurance deal
The PAX+ scheme, negotiated some years ago by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and covering around 25% of all service personnel, has run into problems.
It is a voluntary facility for those who wish to enhance their benefits under noncontributory..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Tillinghast reestimates World Trade Center loss
..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Insurance losses persist
Standard & Poor’s has reported continued loss in motor insurance. Despite a 20% overall increase in premiums in the last year, the industry’s combined ration rose by a mere 5% to 113%.The highest premium increases attached to fleet..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
New motor insurance database
The new Motor Insurance Database, managed by Experian on behalf of the Motor Insurers’ Information Centre, provides police with a roadside record of all insured private drivers. This as a tool to combat the ever-growing number of claims to the..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Directors database
Experian has added 3.2mn directors of UK companies to its online database, giving, among other benefits, assistance in tracking down dishonest individuals who hide behind false information, such as addresses, in returns to Companies House. This is..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Warning to surveyors
The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors has warned members that, in giving property valuations, they should refer to uncertainties arising from the turbulence of the world economy and financial markets. This is while still using standard..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Barings: partial settlement
Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers), facing the bulk of the £1bn negligence claim brought by Barings’ liquidator (KPMG) in respect of losses through the action of Nick Leeson, has agreed settlement for undisclosed..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Cooperation reduces fine
Winterthur Life has set aside £10mn to compensation 10,000 customers missold endowment mortgage products. Fined £500,000 by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), this is less than may be faced by other companies still under..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Equitable attacks actuaries report
The report of the Faculty & Institute of Actuaries (FIA) into role of actuaries in troubled life insurer Equitable has been described in a statement by the company as a whitewash: ‘We are surprised the inquiry has shied away from..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
FSA/Equitable report
The Financial Services Authority’s (FSA) internal report into its role in the problems of Equitable Life is more critical than expected.
While pointing out the damage was done when the FSA assumed in that area in 1999 – the guarantees..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Worker consultation
Moves by the European parliament to strengthen the requirements of worker consultation by management are opposed by the Confederation of British Industry.
If the provisions make their way through many hurdles to finalisation, then firms with 50 or..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
ACAS developments
The annual report of the Advisory, Conciliation & Arbitration Service (ACAS) shows a modest increase of 1.3% in matters dealt with by conciliators, to a total of 105,304. These included a 21% rise in complaints of discrimination, totalling..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Employment risk costs too high
The employment risk costs of British firms could be cut by £1.5bn a year, according to a joint study by Marsh and researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University. Sickness absence alone costs more than £10bn.
Seven out of 10 private sector..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Pub ventilation
Following 18 months of visits and research, the Irish Environmental Health Officers’ Association has called for a full ban on smoking in pubs, bars and restaurants, claiming poor ventilation is putting staff at risk.
Self-regulated in this..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Location of employment relationship
An employment tribunal has ruled that four pregnant air stewardesses, although not habitually working in England and employed under a predominantly US contract, may pursue grievances against United Airlines under English, rather than US, law.
They..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Stress leaflet withdrawn
Spurred by criticism from trade union Unison, the Health & Safety Executive has withdrawn a recent leaflet on work-related stress. Criticism was focused on the alleged encouragement of employees to change jobs rather than remove the causes of..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Shift work risk
Work by Dr Shantha Rajaratnam and colleagues of the University of Guildford is published in The Lancet
late September. This argues that shift work creates an undue risk to health and seeks legislation to protect workers, especially those working..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Website for small business startups
The Institute of Occupational Safety & Health, backed by Norwich Union, has developed a website to provide appropriate health and safety information for small business startups.
A free leaflet is to be distributed widely, giving information..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
HSC launches safety plan
Strategic Plan 2001/4, launched by the Health & Safety Commission (HSC), sets out priorities for reducing work-related injuries and ill health over the next three years.
Based on widespread consultation, aims are to reduce the number of lost..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Learning from safety failure
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), supported by the ABI, CBI and TUC, has called on employers to overhaul their accident investigation procedures, providing assistance through a 10-point prompt list.
Is everyone in the..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Shortage of safety inspectors
Laurence Williams, head of the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, has warned of a shortage of skilled safety inspectors and lack of resources to recruit appropriately skilled personnel.
This situation could disrupt plans for decommissioning and of..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Kursk raised
Russian nuclear submarine Kursk
has been raised and towed to shore for the removal of the remains of the crew, and of nuclear components and missiles.
It is unlikely the cause of loss, whether internal explosion or external collision, will be fully..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
American and United liability limited
An emergency bill has been passed enabling the US government to act as XS insurer of last resort for losses exceeding US$100mn.
It also stipulates any liability faced by American Airlines or United Airlines for their losses of 11 September may not..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Alaska Airlines accepts liability
..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Essex village residents target Korean Air
Thirteen residents of the village of Great Hallingbury in Essex have launched claims against Korean Air for trauma resulting from the crash of a Boeing 747 at Stansted on 22 December 1999.
They were so close to the crash, which caused a crater 43..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Braer claims agreed
Nine years after the grounding of the Liberian-flag tanker Braer
off the Shetland Islands, all claims have been settled or agreed.
Skuld Club and the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund have paid £48.2mn between all but three of the..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Home Envirosearch
Of the 20mn homes in the UK, several hundred thousand are likely to suffer environmental problems such as foundations built on poorly treated industrial sites or on flood plains, according to the Home Envirosearch Report
, published by Landmark..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Local authority guide to EPA
The Environment Agency has produced a new Guide for Local Authorities
on the application of Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act (brought into force in England in April 2000 and providing for identification and cleanup of contaminated..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Report on pesticides in food
..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Pollution prosecutions and penalties
The report of the Environment Agency for 2000 shows an increase in the number of prosecutions for serious pollution incidents, up from 566 the previous year to 694.
Much of this increase related to water, with seven out of 10 of the firms prosecuted..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Pollution exclusion disallowed
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has overturned lower court proinsurer rulings on gradual but unintended pollution. It held that in 1970 insurers misrepresented the intent of sudden and accidental pollution exclusions to the regulator.
This appears to..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Employment practices liability
An article in the John Liner Review
of July 2001 by Marsh senior vice-president Carole Lynn Proferes provides a detailed review of the growth of employment practices liability (EPL) claims and exposures.
While the Equal Employment Opportunity..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Gun suit ban stands
The Supreme Court has declined to review a retroactive decision of the Louisiana court banning cities from suing gunmakers to recover costs of gun violence.
This is an attempt to revive Morial v Smith & Wesson
, filed by the city of New Orleans..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
‘Reckless indifference’ in gun selling
The ‘reckless indifference’ of Kmart in the selling of a shotgun to a known paranoid schizophrenic has led to US$1.5mn punitive damage and US$1.5mn compensation. This was a jury award to the parents of 19-year-old Ryan Tait Eslinger, who..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Proposition 65 for reform?
California’s Proposition 65, passed in 1986, allows suits against businesses for subjecting one or more people to any of about 800 potentially harmful chemicals, if they do not carry proper warnings.
Unsurprisingly, suits have proliferated...
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Arbitration can lead to punitive damages
..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Punitive and additional damages
Failure to pay a US$9,500 claim for theft of a van has left Warrior Insurance liable to pay almost US$5mn. It was found guilty of ‘outrageous consumer fraud, deceptive practices and misrepresentations’ by its actions, which included a..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
New management report on asbestos
..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
WTC site raises asbestos concerns
After taking samples of dust from more than 100 World Trade Center sites, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found just over one-third contained ‘slightly’ more than 1% asbestos, the level at which something is classified as..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Armstrong wins reorganisation extension
Armstrong World Industries and its related units, in chapter 11 bankruptcy, have won an extension as the only parties allowed to put forward reorganisation plans until at least 5 April 2002.
This is the second extension granted as the companies..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Federal-Mogul to seek chapter 11 protection
Motor parts manufacturer Federal-Mogul Corp is to seek voluntary bankruptcy protection in face of rising asbestos claims. This is part of a restructuring plan allowing Federal-Mogul to continue payments to claimants while maintaining its business..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Owens Corning may share information
Owens Corning has won court approval for the sharing of confidential information about pending and resolved asbestos-related claims with parties representing creditors and claimants in its chapter 11 case.
This will allow the recipients to put..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Experts expect increased asbestos claims
The annual congress of the European Respiratory Society warned of an expected increase in asbestos-caused cancers for another 20 years.
Antti Tassavainen of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health reported 30,000 new cases of mesothelioma or..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Tobacco update
Jury bucks smoking claim to asbestos exposure
during his work as a bricklayer. An Ohio jury rejected the claim by David Tompkin’s widow, accepting Big Tobacco arguments that his lung disease was caused by exposure to asbestos while working,..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
BSE, CJD and OPs
The £60mn vCJD compensation trust fund
is now established, with payments to start before year end following payments of £25,000 already made to most families from the interim trust. Initially intended to provide sufficient funds to..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Final EU food proposals
Final proposals for EU regulation of the general principles and requirements of food law, the establishment of the European Food Authority operative from 1 January 2002 and the setting of procedures in matters of food safety has now been..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Farming policy consultation
A consultation document, seeking views from ‘everyone with an interest in the future of farming and food in this country’ has been published by the Farming & Food Policy Commission. Response is required by 26 October..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Radiation level display
Although the mobile phone industry is working to a deadline of March 2002, some manufacturers will be supplying details of radiation emission levels for display in shops from October of this year. This follows agreement of an EU-harmonised method of..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Spanish oil
In 1981 more than 400 people died and 17,000 fell sick, some permanently, from the use of industrial-grade rape seed oil disguised as olive oil. The factory owners responsible were jailed in 1983 but the exact mechanism of harm remained..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
NHTSA decision triggers Ford to action
Firestone has agreed to recall 3.5mn tyres (in addition to the 6.5mn recalled in August 2000) following an engineering analysis conducted by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
This identified defects in certain Wilderness..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Latex effect of hypoallergenic gloves
A Philadelphia jury has awarded dental hygienist Kathy Falcone US$842,000 (more than US$1.2mn with interest) in respect of a latex allergy suffered when she used what she believed were safe gloves on the advice of her doctor.
Diagnosed with a latex..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Artificial butter flavouring
A preliminary report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) has said bronchiolitis obliterans – a rare disease that causes permanent damage to lung tissue – suffered by eight workers over recent years..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Baxter puts dialysis equipment on hold
Leading manufacturer of kidney dialysis machines Baxter International has issued a global recall of Series A equipment following the deaths of 21 people in Croatia over two days.
The dead were known to have been using Baxter blood-cleaning filters,..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
First Propulsid trial leads to US$100mn verdict
In the first Propulsid case to come to court, alleging heart problems and other ailments from using the heartburn drug, a New Jersey jury awarded US$100mn compensatory damages among 10 claimants.The drug was recalled last year but at least another..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Night noise breaches human rights
The increased level of noise from night flights at Heathrow airport since 1993 was a breach of respect for private and family life and home under article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The scope of review by the English courts was..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Surveyor’s liability over noise
A surveyor, instructed to report on a property with specific attention to advice on whether it would be affected by aircraft noise, negligently reported it was unlikely to suffer significant effect.
The Court of Appeal had previously held that the..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Meeting of experts not prejudicial
A private pretrial meeting of experts from both sides of a medical negligence case, ordered by the court in line with rule 35.12 of the Civil Procedure Rules, did not raise any question of contravention of human rights in relation to fair..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Court martial rules in line with human rights
The legislation creating procedures for courts martial was not incompatible with rights guaranteed under the European Convention on Human Rights. This was in dismissal of nine out of 10 unrelated cases arising from court martial proceedings.
Regina..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Prime reason for dismissal
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has considered the balance between dismissal for economic, technical or organisational (ETO) reasons entailing changes to the workforce (covered by TUPE Reg 8(2)) and whether this can constitute a dismissal for..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Change of work not necessarily ‘redundancy’
The reorganisation of a business, resulting in certain employees being required to do different jobs, is not conclusive of redundancy. A tribunal must consider whether the change had any effect, and if so, what.
Shawkat v Nottingham City Hospital..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Directors as employees
For purposes of a tribunal, the position of controlling shareholder of a company, while a significant factor in determination, is not necessarily incompatible with the status of employee.
Connolly v Sellers Arenascene Ltd • Court of Appeal..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Justified refusal of reference
A chief constable’s refusal to give a reference for a police officer who had brought proceedings against him in an industrial tribunal was justified.
This was not ‘by reason that’ the constable had brought proceedings (under the..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Planning authority liability
A planning authority that required a developer to construct a footpath, emerging on to a road where visibility was limited, owed a duty of care to a pedestrian who was knocked down while crossing the road. A request to the developer to improve the..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Joint mortgages and lender’s security
This group of cases deals with enforcement where one member of a marriage agreed to their share of the matrimonial home being used as security for a business venture of the other member. Some cases were allowed, others not, on the basis of the..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Before-the-event insurance
The Court of Appeal has ruled that, while use of existing before-the-event (BTE) insurance is preferable, in certain circumstances a claimant may recover additional premium paid for after-the-event (ATE) cover – though the ruling was tempered..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Plane refuses passengers in unsuitable T-shirts
In a crazy twist on increased airline security, two men were ordered off a JMC flight from Gatwick to Malaga – for wearing T-shirts with pictures (and excerpts from a speech about world peace) of Ethiopia’s last emperor, Haile Selassie...
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Claim alleges negligent ministerial statement
West Country owner of holiday cottages Bernie Rowe is, with a number of other rural business people, preparing a negligence claim alleging that ministerial statements telling people to keep out of the countryside had foreseeably led to loss and..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Floods leave long-term health problems
Research commissioned by the Environment Agency from Flood Hazard Research Group indicates that families whose homes were flooded up to three years ago are still suffering health problems.
Physical illnesses such a coughs, skin problems and upset..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Parents plan civil action against Scouts
The parents of 12-year-old Jonathan Attwell, who fell to his death from Snowdon, plan to take civil action against the Scout Association following the acquittal on manslaughter charges of the Scout master.
A key feature of their claim will be to..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Former Independent staff launch actions
More than 150 former staff of failed Independent Insurance, led by former commercial underwriter Phil Angus, have launched action on redundancy issues.
Specifically, they claim that liquidator Pricewaterhouse-Coopers failed to consult adequately..
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01 November 2001
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136 - 01 November 2001
Unilever v MAM case commences
A high court hearing, expected to run towards the end of the year, has commenced on an action by Unilever’s Superannuation Fund against Mercury Asset Management (MAM). It alleges that in 1997 it allowed one of its ‘select team’ to..
Online Published Date:
01 November 2001
Appeared in issue:
136 - 01 November 2001
Railtrack considers suit against ex-regulator
Railtrack Group may sue its former regulator, Tom Winsor, alleging failure in his duties under section 4 of the 1993 Railways Act, citing his highly critical ‘public and private comments’.
Under section 4 the regulator has a duty to..
Online Published Date:
01 November 2001
Appeared in issue:
136 - 01 November 2001
St Paul files against Railtrack for Paddington
St Paul Insurance, having paid £13.5mn in compensation arising from the 31-death rail crash at Paddington in 1999 – it expects claims for a further £10mn – is seeking clarification of Railtrack’s contribution.
Arbitration..
Online Published Date:
01 November 2001
Appeared in issue:
136 - 01 November 2001
11 September developments
Despite the range and importance of insurance and liability issues arising from 11 September, LRI
will not be running a regular section under this heading.
Not only will those who need to keep a close track of events be using daily news sources,..
Online Published Date:
01 November 2001
Appeared in issue:
136 - 01 November 2001
HSE promises to assess back pain risks to pupils
Every year about this time there is criticism of the weight that schoolchildren have to carry, all and every day. This year there is at least a promise of risk assessment from the Health & Safety Executive.
Not only is back pain the single..
Online Published Date:
01 November 2001
Appeared in issue:
136 - 01 November 2001