Is a jury capable of assessing damages in cases involving multi-accident scenarios, overlapping injuries and complicated medical evidence? The Ontario Superior Court was asked to consider the question in Hossny v. Belair Insurance, a complicated case in which an insured…
An extended warranty is not an insurance contract, the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta has decided.“In my view, the distinction between a warranty and insurance is that a warranty covers the risk that the covered product will fail due…
General Re Corporation has agreed to pay $12.2 million to settle charges by the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) related to separate schemes by American International Group (AIG) and Prudential Financial, Inc. to manipulate and falsify reported financial results in 2000-02.According…
There is a need to provide a clear definition for the word “incurred” under Ontario’s Statutory Accident Benefits Scheme (SABS), said Philippa Samworth, a partner at Dutton Brock LLP.Typically, “incurred” is interpreted to mean that a person has paid for…
The proposal to decrease Ontario’s medical and rehab benefit from $100,000 to $50,000, including an option to purchase higher limits, will place a huge onus on brokers and expose them to an increased risk of litigation, said Philippa Samworth, a…
Insurers generally agree with the Alberta insurance regulator that disclosure of limitation periods to litigate a claim should be “transparent” and “fair,” but a general industry consensus has evolved that requiring an insurance company to notify a claimant about the…
Contrary to its initial expectations, Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario (RIBO), the self-regulating body of Ontario’s insurance brokers, says the Part XIII amendments to the federal Insurance Companies Act (ICA) will not likely change the amount of “unlicensed” insurance written…
A motion for summary judgement filed in 2009, but that will not be heard until 2010, is subject to the new Rules of Civil Procedure that came into effect as of Jan. 1, 2010, Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice has…
New Brunswick, one of only two provinces (in addition to Alberta) to allow the use of handheld devices while driving, is considering a ban on such use, cbc.ca reports.New Brunswick Public Safety Minister John Foran told cbc.ca that while the…
Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI)’s special investigations unit (SIU) has recovered nearly $30 million over the last three years in undeserved benefits and denied fraudulent claims. Roughly 3,000 suspicious claims were reviewed in 2009. Five of those made MPI’s 2009 list…
Corporate risk managers may wish to review their reputational risk in light of a new defence that protects publishers from defamation so long as their communications are found to be responsible and relate to matters of public interest.“Freewheeling debate on…
Ontario’s Superior Court in IMAX has established a “relatively low” threshold to be met by plaintiffs seeking leave to proceed with a civil action for secondary market liability, according to Ogilvy Renault.The decision provides the first judicial interpretation of leave…