Insurance

Two insurers have come up short in their appeal of a ruling that put them on the hook for the costs of Opal Tower consultant engineer WSP in a class action by residents.

Insurers have won a challenge to a declaration that engineering firm CIMIC could make claims under policies for costs arising from corruption cases, including a $32 million class action settlement.

Expect more cybersecurity class actions following the introduction of a new statutory tort for serious invasions of privacy, experts on both sides of the bar table told Lawyerly.

A class action targeting Westpac subsidiary BT Funds Management and Tal Life Insurance is set to be discontinued less than a year after it was filed.

HFW has snagged two partners specialising in litigation and restructuring and insolvency from Johnson Winter Slattery, including the firm’s litigation practice group head.

A judge has granted broad discovery to a shareholder class action against IAG over COVID-related disclosures, saying the documents sought were relevant to determining the likelihood the insurer knew of the risk that it would have to pay out business interruption claims covered by polices that referenced defunct legislation.

A judge has made soft class closure orders in a shareholder class action against Medibank after the High Court has been asked to resolve a split on the issue by intermediate appellate courts.

A class action on behalf of 700 patients alleging assisted reproduction provider Monash IVF destroyed potentially viable embryos in a faulty genetic screening program has settled for $56 million.

The NSW appeals court has clarified the operation of the Uniform Law in the state, finding that insurers offering professional indemnity insurance to legal practitioners must be approved by the state’s Attorney General.

Several insurers have won a dispute with two Melbourne businesses about whether an industrial special risks policy can cover losses suffered during COVID-19 lockdowns, with a judge finding the policy did not respond just because there were recorded cases in Melbourne.