Marine insurance: fraudulent claims

In Versloot Dredging BV and Another v HDI Gerling Industrie Versicherung AG and Others (The DC Merwestone) [2016] UKSC 45, the Supreme Court had to determine whether underwriters were entitled to reject a genuine claim under an insurance policy because the insured shipowners had told a lie (which was ultimately immaterial to the underwriters’ liability) in the course of the investigation of the claim. The case is discussed by David Turner QC of 4 New Square.

The DC Merwestone : the facts