Property insurance

Robbery

The meaning of the word ‘robbery’ was discussed by the Court of Appeal in Canelhas Comercio Importacao e Exportacao Ltd v Wooldridge [2004] EWCA Civ 984, [2004] Lloyd’s Rep IR (forthcoming). The case involved English standard wording contained in a policy issued on a risk in Brazil, and the Court of Appeal held that in such circumstances it was appropriate to construe the policy as it would be understood by ordinary commercial men, rather than in any technical sense. The outcome is that a theft effected by kidnapping and threats of violence is not a robbery.