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Funding Litigation with Legal Expenses Insurance
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Aspects of Liability Claims Handling
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Growth in East Asia
A Lloyd’s-commissioned report highlights the rise in litigation in the Asia-Pacific region, with increased demand for liability insurance. Growth areas cover professional indemnity, directors’ & officers’, errors’ &..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Australian liability reform
In the face of insurer-opposition the Australian government has made a U-turn in its attempts to reform the liability regime, calling for ‘mirror legislation’ between the seven states and two territories despite their differing legal..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
AIG looks for removal of entity cover from D&O
AIG is urging the removal of entity coverage from directors’ & officers’ (D&O) insurance, so as to reduce company willingness to settle in shareholder litigation. Entity coverage was generally added to D&O in the 1990s to..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Aon comments on solicitors’ renewals
Aon Professional Risks, which provides terms for around half the legal profession, has put forward observations on the 1 September renewals of the £1mn compulsory professional indemnity renewals:
Despite fears, 90% of renewals were under way..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Growing importance of excess liabil ity lines
Formerly looked upon as a safety blanket, to be bought at the last minute and from the cheapest carrier, this view of excess liability cover is changing. Allan Francis, UK excess casualty manager at AIG Europe (UK), writing in Insurance Day of 2..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Railtrack explores EL Pool for contractors
Railtrack plc (in administration since October of last year) and broker Aon are exploring the creation of an insurance pool to provide employers’ liability (EL) insurance for rail maintenance companies. Railtrack’s contractors and..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Shareholder suit targets Aon
A shareholder suit has been launched against Aon by shareholders, the day after a ratings downgrade, alleging that its financial reports misled shareholders about performance through misrepresentations and omissions. Filed in a US District Court by..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
JP Morgan’s case dismissed
An action by JP Morgan Chase, seeking US$1bn from 11 insurers including AIG, Chubb and Liberty International for refusing to honour surety bonds in relation to Enron oil and gas deals, has been dismissed by US District Court Judge Jed Rakoff.
The..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Record fine on R&SA
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has imposed a fine of £1.3mn on Royal & SunAlliance (R&SA) for poor review of pensions mis-selling. It found that 13,500 clients had been wrongfully excluded from review. R&SA has already..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Ombudsman rules against Abbey National
The Financial Ombudsman Service has ordered Abbey National to compensate customers who lost out over dual mortgage rates. This echoes similar decisions against Nationwide, Halifax, HSBC and Cheltenham and Gloucester, the first of which elected to..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Selby rail crash offer
Fortis, the motor insurer covering Gary Hart the driver of the Land Rover that ran onto the line causing the 10-death, 70-injured Selby rail crash, has proposed a settlement totalling less than £8mn. Fortis is understood to have reserved..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
A pile of dollars
A yet further spate of estimates of the ‘final’ cost of 11 September.
The Insurance Information Institute sets the ultimate loss at US$40.2bn. ‘The vast majority of claims for homes and autos have been paid, but commercial claims..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Silverstein developments
The first of the split trials on the WTC loss seems certain to go ahead in November, despite the New York court ordering insurers and Silverstein to appoint independent appraisers to try to reach agreement on the value of the WTC loss.
Judge Martin..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Slave descendants’ wide range of targets
Suits by the descendants of slaves were filed early in September in New York and San Francisco, similar suits are expected in Illinois, Lousiana and Texas.
Naming 12 corporations, including insurers AIG and Lloyd’s, banks, railroads and..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Reserves bolstered
The latest major addition to reserves comes from Allianz, adding US$750mn so as to allow US Fireman’s Fund to continue paying at the current rate for another 13 years. This brings their reserve-building to more than US$1bn since 1995. Earlier..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Food concerns and simpler labelling
Research from Mintel published 6 September 2002 shows that British consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about food safety yet few bother to follow official safety information. Some 44% of respondents were concerned about safety (51% women,..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Another tyre recall
Continental Tire North America has recalled 6,000 tyres from over 100,000 two-wheel-drive Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators, year 2000 and 2001 models. And 3,500 tyres from motor coaches have also been recalled. This following the report of a..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Development in Professional Indemnity Law
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Insurance of Employment Practices Liability
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Right to breast-feed in public
Proposals before the Scottish Parliament would impose fines of up to £2,500 on bars and restaurants that refuse to allow nourishment to the young, that is ban breast feeding. It faces a rearguard action from those with hang-ups over the basic..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Safety of services
The European Commission has launched a consultation paper on safety of services for consumers, comments required by 8 October 2002. In this context ‘services’ covers financial services, telecommunications, health services, beauty care,..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
FSA to look at IFAs’ PI requirements
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is to review the professional indemnity (PI) situation of independent financial advisers (IFAs) following stories of 300% premium hikes. Currently required to carry PI cover for at least three times the annual..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Pensions litigation unit
International law firm Norton Rose has established a dedicated pensions litigation unit. This in response to the ‘increased powers of the Financial Services Authority and the ever-increasing regulation of the financial services and insurance..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Tribunal taskforce
The taskforce, appointed by the government last year, to advise on reform of the employment tribunal system has reported, and recommendations include:
greater use of ACAS and other means of mediation.
earlier disclosure of information by all..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Nostalgia for Legal Aid?
Criticised from all quarters for years, the simplicity of Legal Aid funding for personal injury cases must be filling at least some practitioners with nostalgia. The decision in Callery
and demise of Claims Direct have done nothing to allay..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Enron fallout
The plea of guilty by former managing director Michael Kopper (see LRI
September) could increase the chances of D&O insurers seeking to rescind cover.
On a wider front, the whole mess has led to widespread consideration among insurers of..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
PwC identify change of business mix
A survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers shows that, post-11 September 2001, more than half the insurers in the London market have modified their business mix. Many are withdrawing from US casualty, and others scaling back on US property, aviation and..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Extension of NHS recoupment?
A consultation paper is to be issued based on recommendations of the Law Commission to extend Health Service recoupment of part-costs of treating accident victims to all who receive compensation. Following simplification of procedures, the existing..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Italian liability tariffs
The continued rise of motor liability tariffs, 16% in 2000, 11% in 2001, has led the Senate to set up an examining commission. Despite earlier European Union action when a 12-month block was put on premium increases some members of the Italian..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
A million deaths a year
Worldwide road deaths run at a million a year, according to Dr Adnam Hyder of the Road Traffic Injury Research Network (RTIRN) and reported in the New York Times of 29 August 2002. Tens of millions are injured.
Joining with the World Health..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
All-terrain hazard
A study sponsored by the Consumer Federation of America and other organisations claims that four-wheel drive all-terrain vehicles are as hazardous as the three-wheel variety banned in the late 1980s. It found that the number of passengers injured in..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
May a highway authority be legally liable for an accident?
Useful discussion of the current situation, by District Judge Julie Exton, appears in the 12 September issue of the Law Society Gazette. Running through the requirements of the Highways Act and various court decisions, she concludes: ‘Always..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
No whistleblower at Tyco?
Manhattan district attorney Robert Morgenthau, commenting on the ‘directors, lawyers, auditors and other corporate officers’ expressed surprise that ‘nobody said “Hey, wait a minute, what’s going on..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Andersen settlement
Andersen Worldwide has come to agreement with Enron investors and creditors on a US$60mn settlement of a class action suit, while denying any liability or wrongdoing. Investors will receive US$40mn and creditors US$20mn, far less than the US$300mn..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Personal liability for a company’s tortious acts
Courts are changing from the traditional view that a director would only be held liable as a joint tortfeasor with the company if it can be shown that he committed the tort, participated in it, or procured the act done by others or that he and the..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
British Energy
Nuclear generator British Energy, facing insolvency, is to receive a £450mn EU-approved aid package from the government, with restructuring to follow.
But this is by no means the end of their woes as the Financial Services Authority (FSA),..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Equitable developments and delays
The Equitable Life Late Joiners’ Action Group has reached a ‘no win, no fee’ deal with lawyers Travers Smith Braithwaite which will enable it to press ahead with its action.
In a separate move, Ernst & Young is seeking to have..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
UK/EL developments
All those with any interest in the problems of employers liability (EL) cost and availability will be following moves on a daily basis, through Insurance Day and the trade press. A detailed rehearsal would be superfluous so a few highlights, only,..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Miners’ compensation tops £1bn
Compensation paid out under the government scheme to miners whose health was damaged by working conditions has topped £1bn. After a slow start payments are speed ing up of the 200,000 claims under the lung disease scheme and 150,000 for..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Discrimination cases, and payments, up in 2001
An Equal Opportunities review examined all 329 discrimination cases in 2001 where compensation was awarded and found the biggest cash increase came in disability claims, but the greatest increase in successful claims lay with sexual..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Call for increased holidays rejected
The Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) has rejected a call from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to bring UK holidays in line with the European norm by defining the eight Bank Holidays as separate entitlement rather than capable of being..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Women in NHS set for massive pay rises and six years back pay?
In 1997 Unison launched an equal pay claim for workers at the Carlisle Hospitals NHS Trust. This sought recognition of equality of work value, in various groups, with colleagues in predominantly male professions. Nurses, catering assistants,..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Contracts for home workers
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
More whistleblowers
A survey by YouGov for KPMG Forensic shows a big increase in willingness to whistleblow, report wrong-doing colleague to the appropriate authority. Some 83% of respondents said they were willing to report serious incidents of fraud by colleagues to..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Confidentiality clauses
A note, dated 29 August 2002, from Law-Now@cmck.com looks at rapid developments in confidentiality law in the light of the European Convention on Human Rights whereby it is weighed against the right to freedom of expression.
While an employee has an..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Blind gap in discrimination act
The Royal National Institute of the Blind is seeking the tightening up of the Disability Discrimination Act to give better protection to the blind and partially sighted when using public transport.
While the current act requires information to be..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Corporate manslaughter
Research by the Centre for Corporate Accountability (reported in the Financial Times of 21 August 2002) shows that the Crown Prosecution Service completed 10 manslaughter prosecutions of business owners and company directors since April 1998 with a..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Hatfield evidence
New evidence from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has been handed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) which could lead to manslaughter charges against Balfour Beatty and Railtrack executives in respect of the four-death, 70-injured..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Disaster? call in Granny
Two articles in The Lancet
of 6 September address the usefulness, or not, of stress counselling. Quality and common sense seem to be the key.
A comparative study by Arnold van Emmerik and colleagues of the University of Amsterdam on critical..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
More on Yucca mountain
Increased opposition to the dumping of nuclear waste in Nevada develops into six separate lawsuits against President Bush and various law agencies. The dump, between the famous Yosemite National Park and Las Vegas (would it provide its own glow, one..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Boeing fuel pumps checked
Responding to US Federal Aviation Administration concerns, around 1,800 Boeing 737, 747 and 757 aircraft are being checked for faulty wiring. Although no accidents have been attributed to what is thought to be an assembly error, airlines have been..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Finnair to pay for lost cash
Finnair will not appeal the ruling of the Supreme Court of Switzerland that it pay compensation of €570,500 to Swiss insurer Winterthur in respect of the loss of a cash consignment of €500,000 in 1996.
Finnair had argued that it was only..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Kursk loss due to negligence?
Citing evidence of the Russian Prosecutor-General’s investigation, influential newspaper Rossiskaya Gazeta
claims that naval negligence, not a malfunctioning torpedo as claimed in the official report, caused the loss of the Kursk
two years..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Cost of chemical testing
The number of approved chemicals, many of common household and garden use, marketed in Britain are expected to fall from 800 as low as 300 when EU legislation comes into force next year. This is not because they are inherently dangerous but because..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Chemical exposure and psychological sequelae
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Bhopal case revived
An attempt by the Indian government to get the outstanding charge of culpable homicide against Warren Anderson, former chairman of Union Carbide, dropped has led to its reaffirmation and calls for extradition.
In 1984 the world’s worst..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Cleanups and air pollution
Although the majority of lower Manhattan buildings have been thoroughly tested, some tenants complain that their landlords refuse to hire contractors to carry though the necessary clean up. The lack of a comprehensive programme also means that many..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Red Cross to fund psychological treatment
The American Red Cross and 11 September Fund is to finance a joint programme for the treatment of those suffering resultant psychological problems, with reimbursement of the costs of psychotherapy, drug or alcohol treatment, psychotropic medication..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Cantor lambasts fund
Cantor Fitzgerald, the hardest hit firm in the Twin Towers with the loss of 658 employees, has prepared a report criticising the federal fund as unfair and providing families with hundreds of millions of dollars less than they are due. It also..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
First families accept compensation, many more sue
Nine of the first 25 families offered compensation by the federal Victim Compensation Fund, averaging US$1.36mn and ranging from US$300,000 to US$3mn as determined by special master of the federal fund Kenneth Feinberg based on the earning power of..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Con Ed to sue port authority
Consolidated Edison and five of its insurers are suing the New York Port Authority for US$314.5mn for damage to a substation caused by the collapse of subsidiary 7WTC which was showered with flaming debris, caught fire and collapsed some hours after..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
State Medmal insurer for Mississippi?
The Governor of Mississippi is presenting the Care Access & Reliability Enhancement Act to a special legislative session. This would create an insurer providing coverage for doctors, hospitals and nursing homes initially financed by a US$10mn..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Check on secret settlements
Ten federal trial judges in South Carolina, led by Chief Justice Joseph Anderson Jr, have voted to prohibit secret settlements, saying these prevent the public learning of hazards such as tyre defects and sexual abuse by priests. At present this..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Church abuse settlement?
After discussions with plaintiff lawyers, an offer of US$10mn from the Boston Archdiocese in settlement of sex abuse claims against clergy has been accepted by all 86 claimants. This will not be fully covered by insurance, and is far less than the..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Mould goes public
Mould, originally a problem of domestic properties, is fast becoming one for employers. Schools, hospitals and public buildings are being closed and employees suing for illness. An article in National Underwriter Property & Casualty of 12..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Absolute exclusion OK, but not indoors
This the ruling of the Supreme Court of Indiana on the pollution exclusion, whereby it was held that the exclusion only applied to outdoor pollution, not that within a building. However, the insurer was not to be penalised for trying to invoke the..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Lead persists
And so do lead poisoning suits, which could be strengthened by a new study from Cornell University. This shows a significant impact on the intelligence of young children from even slight amounts of lead, smaller than previously suspect, and as a..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Rand quantification
A report published by the Rand Institute for Civil Justice claims that asbestos litigation now affects 85% of the US economy, spelling out the wider costs over and above litigation. Claims against secondary companies (users of asbestos products) are..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Honeywell settles with brake mech anics
Honeywell International has settled a claim for US$100mn on behalf of five mechanics in Madison County, Illinois. They alleged their cancer was caused from exposure to asbestos when fitting Bendix brakes. Honeywell said the settlement, for an..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Cape and its officers to face new ac tion
Following Cape’s failure to meet the 30 June £11mn instalment of settlement, and two extensions to 14 September, Richard Meeran of Leigh Day & Co representing 7,500 South African claimants is taking steps to revive full action. A..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
National Gypsum’s new fund
National Gypsum has agreed to set up a US$347mn fund to compensate those who developed asbestos related illnesses after 1993. A US$400mn trust fund to cover claims was set up at that date as part of bankruptcy proceedings. The new fund will..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Agreed amendment of Manville Trust
A new settlement, necessitated by the prospect of inadequate funds and in consultation with plaintiff attorneys, has been struck in the first of the asbestos trusts which was set up in 1982, the Manville Personal Injury Trust.
Details are not yet..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Mass trial to proceed
US Chief Justice William Rehnquist has rejected a defendant appeal for the delay of a mass asbestos product liability trial, due to start on 23 September in West Virginia, until their appeal against class status has been heard some time after 7..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Tobacco update
Flight attendant’s US$5.5mn award cut
by 91% to US$500,000 by Judge Fredericka Smith in Florida’s Miami-Dade Circuit Court. Lead defendant Philip Morris stated that the remaining sum would now go to appeal. This decision could impact on..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
BSE, CJD and F&M
Influence from Nestle blamed
for shelving of plan to vaccinate many cattle, in the face of arguments in favour by veterinary officers as a way of limiting slaughter, alleged in the report by the Cumbria Foot and Mouth Task Force, issued by Cumbria..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Growing GM claims against Aventis
Aventis Cop Science faces more than 30 suits arising from the planting on Starlink GM corn despite there being, as yet, no scientific evidence that it is harmful. They arise from farmers’ loss of price of their non-GM crops when exposed to..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Cooper tyre class action settlement
A New Jersey court has approved a class action settlement giving extended warranty but no payment to up to 40mn purchasers of Cooper Tire & Rubber Co steel-belted radial tyres. Including a consumer education campaign on tyre safety and..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Ford/Firestone rolls on
No end yet to suits against Ford and Firestone based on tyre separation, but this one running a different argument to those that have achieved settlement. In these federal regulators linked the tyres, many fitted as standard, to accidents resulting..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Medical victims want informal res olution
A survey by Actions for Victims of Medical Accidents (AVMA) shows that the majority of those suffering from medical intervention want an independent complaints system able to offer an explanation and apology as well as award small sums in..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Aventis epilepsy drug targeted
Vigabatrin (trade name Sabril) is likely to lead to action against manufacturer Aventis led by Plymouth solicitors, Wolferstans, acting for 30 plaintiffs. It is alleged to have damaged the vision of patients treated for epilepsy, some to the extent..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Rezulin class status rejected
Judge Lewis Kaplan of the Southern District New York has rejected a plaintiff move for 4,000 Rezulin claims to be handled as a class action saying they differed too widely to be consolidated. Among effects alleged are damage to heart and to liver..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Financial help to protect infant
Where an HIV positive mother may breast feed her baby, because of lack of funds to buy formula milk, the Home Secretary should reconsider whether these exceptional circumstances warranted additional financial support.
This in allowing judicial..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Protection of whistle-blower
When faced with a complaint from a worker alleging that they were sacked for whistle-blowing, an employment tribunal should hold a directions hearing to clarify evidence required and to ensure that all statutory requirements for the protection of..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Holiday pay
Under the Working Time Regulations an employee’s holiday pay can only be a part of his weekly payment with the agreement of both parties and when incorporated in his contract of employment.
Gridquest Ltd (t/a Select Employment) and Others v..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Steps required of employer to reduce risk
The steps required of an employer to reduce the risk of injury to a worker to the lowest reasonably practicable level include assessment of risk with consideration of the particular task, the context where it is to be performed and the particular..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Date of assessment of compensation
Compensation to a property purchaser for loss occasioned by the failure of a local council to register a charge on the property was to be assessed as at the date of the compensation hearing. [Very relevant to the amount due, as linked to property..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Percentage of damages agreement enforceable
Agreement with accountants to provide ancillary litigation services for a percentage of damages was enforceable. This in relation to the action of Spanish fishermen against the UK for prohibition of fishing in territorial waters.
R (Factortame Ltd..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Failure to mediate impinges on costs
The successful defendant to a case, both at first instance and on appeal and having offered an unaccepted settlement, was not awarded costs. This because, despite both parties being advised in court to ‘explore the possibility of ADR’,..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Success fee in ‘costs only’ proceedings
In an appeal against recovery of costs and 20% success fee, on a costs-only hearing, as provided for under the Law Society’s model agreement, the Court of Appeal held that in simple claims that settle out of court the maximum success fee..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
CFAs made outside regulations unenforceable
A conditional fee arrangement made in breach of the provisions of the Conditional Fee Arrangement Regulations 2000 for information to be given by a legal representative of the solicitor is unenforceable.
A key decision about to be fast-tracked, with..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Costs
Where parties had furnished imprecise information, and a percentage order was practicable, a judge was not obliged to make an issue-based costs order. In this case of professional negligence, the plaintiff had been awarded more than the sum paid in..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Use of disclaimers to restrict duty to client
This case illustrates that use of appropriate disclaimers and restriction can restrict the scope of a surveyor’s duty to his client.
In the case at issue the defendant was instructed to provide a report and valuation certificate for a..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Datamonitor says ‘compensation culture’ a myth
A new report, UK Personal Injury Litigation 2002 (£1,995 from Datamonitor sales tel 020 7675 7487), claims that fears of a US-style compensation culture in the UK are unfounded.
This is argued on the grounds that although the number of claims..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Awards & settlements
Over-65s entitled to employment protection,
including claim of unfair dismissal or for redundancy pay according to EU law. In this case two men working in the clothing industry were dismissed because they were over 65. Their specific case was also..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Snubbed chorister
Claiming that she was ‘utterly destroyed’ by missing out on the expected bestowing of a cope, usually based on seniority (Buggins turn), a 13-year-old girl chorister has launched legal action against the already litigation-ridden dean..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Judica prepares for group action against Claims Direct
Claims management and settlement company, Judica, working with law firm Betesh Fox, is seeking to recruit shareholders and franchisees to pursue action against Claims Direct, its insurers, directors, and founders, alleging omission of information..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Mass poisoning charge against NERC
A test case on behalf of hundreds of Bangladeshis has been launched against Britain’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). It alleges that in 1992 researchers at NERC’s British Geological Survey were negligent in failing to test..
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01 October 2002
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147 - 01 October 2002
Crown immunity barrier
Although Health & Safety (HSE) investigations into the death of John Wynne, crushed when a furnace slipped from a crane (for the second time) at the Royal Mint in Llantrisant in South Wales, found that the mint had failed to follow safety..
Online Published Date:
01 October 2002
Appeared in issue:
147 - 01 October 2002
CRB and Capita checking delays
The last minute U-turn by Secretary of State for Education, Estelle Morris, to allow schools to allow unvetted staff to start work on a temporary basis may have diverted a number of claims for loss of work opportunity and earnings, not to mention..
Online Published Date:
01 October 2002
Appeared in issue:
147 - 01 October 2002
Group action on holiday faults
The number of group actions over holiday problems has increased over recent years, the largest to date made up of 625 claimants targeted JMC Holidays, in 1998, for illness stemming from a stay at a Majorcan hotel. Most of these are now settled. Food..
Online Published Date:
01 October 2002
Appeared in issue:
147 - 01 October 2002
Back to school
Eleven months ago we highlighted the potential risk of present and future injury and claims to school pupils required to carry heavy loads of books and equipment around with them throughout the day. At that time the Health & Safety Executive..
Online Published Date:
01 October 2002
Appeared in issue:
147 - 01 October 2002