Alex Denslow

Professional Indemnity (defence and coverage)

• IFA and its PI insurers in the ground-breaking Court of Appeal decision of Clark v In Focus Asset Management, which decided that a claimant cannot accept the maximum FOS award limit, and then sue for the balance of loss in court.

• Aon in the heavyweight “77 Energy Cover” (Bonner-v-Cox) Commercial Court litigation, a six month trial of a complex £100m dispute over reinsurance of an energy cover purchased by Lloyd’s underwriters.

• Broker Miles Smith in the Court of Appeal case of Jones v Environcom, the seminal decision on the duty of care owed by a broker to its client.

Reinsurance (defence and coverage)

• Coverage and aggregation issues arising in connection with California Wildfires, Hurricane Frances, Typhoon Songda, World Trade Centre, PA Spiral, NZ earthquakes, Superstorm Sandy

• Numerous successful arbitrations, most recently concerning the trigger of an OIML Warranty following an incident involving the FPSO Maersk Gryphon.

Liability (defence and coverage)

• A  groundworks contractor in the Court of Appeal decision of Aspen v Adana Construction which concerned its coverage dispute with its liability insurer following a tower crane collapse. the first reported decision on the meaning of “product” in a standard combined contractor’s liability policy and determining the inter-relationship of product and public liability sections and the operation of efficacy exclusions in product liability wordings. 

• Coverage advice on the failure of steel bolts in The Leadenhall “Cheesegrater” Building. 

• Complex arbitration involving a coverage dispute following a claim made for US$ 17mn CBI losses flowing from the collapse of a bridge in Russia.

Energy, Marine, Specie (defence and coverage)

• Italian insurers in relation to the successful subrogated recovery in a Commercial Court trial against the Salvage Association following a negligent JH143 Shipyard risk assessment survey which contributed to damage following a fire on the vessel MV Cala Palma.

• Coverage / defence instructions on a wide variety of specie issues involving freight liability, cargo, aquaculture, fine art and trade credit.