Reinsurance - Aggregations and occurrences

(Mann v Lexington Insurance Co, June 2000 (forthcoming in [2000] Lloyd’s Rep IR))

Aggregation of losses into a single claim can be achieved by a variety of different terms. The words “event”, “originating cause”, “accident”, “occurrence”, “claim” and “loss” have all been pressed into use for this purpose. The definition of “event” has been subjected to detailed scrutiny by the English courts, and it is now established that an event is something that must take place at a specific point in time. The word “occurrence”, by contrast, has been discussed in very few modern cases. It is clear from the recent decision of Mr Justice Timothy Walker in Mann v Lexington Insurance Co, June 2000, forthcoming in [2000] Lloyd’s Rep IR , that the term “occurrence” does not have a fixed meaning and cannot always be equated with the term “event”.