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England and Wales High Court (Commercial Court) Decisions |
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You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> England and Wales High Court (Commercial Court) Decisions >> Tesco Stores Ltd. v Constable & Ors [2007] EWHC 2088 (Comm) (14 September 2007) URL: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Comm/2007/2088.html Cite as: [2007] EWHC 2088 (Comm) |
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QUEEN'S BENCH DIVISION
COMMERCIAL COURT
Strand, London, WC2A 2LL |
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B e f o r e :
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Tesco Stores Limited |
Claimant |
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- and - |
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(1) David Constable (sued on his own behalf and on behalf of all other members of Syndicate 386 at Lloyd's) (2) David Pratt (sued on his own behalf and on behalf of all other members of Syndicate 2525 at Lloyd's) (3) Stephen Gordon (sued on his own behalf and on behalf of all other members of Syndicate 1218 at Lloyd's) (4) Ace Insurance SA NV (5) New Hampshire Insurance company (6) Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance plc (7) QBE International Insurance Limited (8) Brit Insurance Limited |
Defendants |
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Colin Edeleman QC and Richard Harrison (instructed by Davies Lavery) for the Defendants
Hearing dates: 25th and 26th July 2007
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Crown Copyright ©
Mr Justice Field:
Introduction
The relevant provisions in the Public Liability Section in the Underlying Policy
The Insuring Clause
The Insurers will indemnify the Insured against all sums for which [Tesco] shall be liable at law for damages in respect of a) death of or bodily injury to or illness or disease of any person b) loss or damage to material property....c) obstruction, loss of amenities, trespass, nuisance or any like cause, happening or consequent upon a cause occurring during the Construction Period or any extension thereof and arising out of and in connection with The Project.
The Contractual Liability Extension
Other than as may be stated or implied in The Contract, liability assumed by [Tesco] under contract or agreement and which would not have attached in the absence of such contract or agreement shall be the subject of indemnity under this Section only if the conduct and control of any claim so relating is vested in The Insurers and subject to the Exceptions and Extensions of this Section.
Exception 6 a
The Insurers shall not be liable in respect of … liability: (a) arising solely under fines, pre-determined liability or liquidated damages clauses in any contract or agreement.
General Policy Extensions 1 a) and f)
The relevant wording of The Excess Policies
To indemnify the Insured against all sums for which the Insured shall be liable at law for damages in respect of death of or bodily injury or illness or disease to any person, or loss of or damage to Third Party Property Obstruction, Loss of Amenities, Trespass or Nuisance or any like cause …
The Preliminary Issues
Issue 1 : Are any of the losses claimed by Chiltern under the Deed of Covenant properly describable as damages in respect of (i) loss or damage to material property; (ii) obstruction, (iii) loss of amenities, (iv) nuisance and/or (v) any like cause, within the meaning of the Insuring Clause?
Issue 2: Are the Defendants liable to indemnify Tesco for such part or parts of its liability to Chiltern as is or are in respect of one or more of (i) loss or damage to material property (ii) obstruction, (iii) loss of amenities, (iv) nuisance, and/or (v) any like cause?
Issue 3: Is the Defendants' liability to Tesco limited by the words "in respect of" in terms of timing, proximity or otherwise and if so, how?
The submissions made on behalf of Tesco in respect of issues 1 and 2
The submissions made on behalf of the defendants in respect of issues 1 and 2
Discussion
The general principle is that the proper construction is to be determined by the ordinary and natural meaning of the words used in the contractual and commercial setting in which the words appear. The niceties of language may have to give way to a commercial construction which is more likely to give effect to the intention of the parties.
All sums for which the Insured shall be liable at law for damages in respect of (a) bodily injury to any person; (b) Damage to property; (c) Obstruction loss of amenities trespass or nuisance; occurring during the period of Insurance and arising in connection with the Business.
It is not the usual intention, in a contractor's public liability insurance, to give cover in respect of defective workmanship which requires rectification but does not cause physical damage to the personal property of a third party or interference with a third party's property rights, as opposed to their purely economic interests.
The Company will provide indemnity ….(1) up to the Limit of Indemnity against legal liability for damages in respect of (A) accidental injury of any person (B) accidental loss of or damage to Property (C) nuisance trespass to land or trespass to goods or interference with any easement right of air light water or way other than legal liability for damages which result from a deliberate act or omission of the Insured or which is a natural consequence of the ordinary conduct of the Business and which could reasonably have been expected by the Insured having regard to the nature and circumstances of such act or omission happening during any Period of Insurance in connection with the Business. (2) Against legal liability for claimant's costs and expenses in connection with 1 above.
108 …"Damages" are the pecuniary recompense given by process of law to a person for the actionable wrong that another has done him.
109. …..Furthermore, at least in the field of marine insurance, it seems to me to be quite clear that this is the meaning which will normally be attributed to the word. Indeed, in that particular context, an even narrower construction has been adopted, even in the absence of an express term to that effect, since it will normally exclude any damages payable by the insured pursuant to contract.
110. I can see no obvious reason why a different approach should be adopted in relation to other forms of public liability insurance. The essential purpose of such policies is to provide an indemnity in respect of certain types of tortious liability. That is reflected in the choice of the word "damages" in the insuring clause of the Policy in this case. As it seems to me, that is made even clearer by the particular context in which the word is used, since the indemnity is granted only in respect of "legal liability for damages in respect of … accidental loss of or damage to property … nuisance trespass to land or trespass to goods or interference with any easement right of air light water or way".
Issue 3
Conclusion
Note 1 A S Screenprint Ltd v British Reserve Insurance Co Ltd [1999] 1 Lloyd’s Rep IR 430; Rodan International Ltd v Commercial Union Assurance Company Plc [1999] Lloyd’s Rep IR 495; Horbury Building Systems Ltd v Hampden Insurance NV [2004] EWCA Civ 418; [2007] Lloyd’s Rep IR 237; James Budgett Sugars Ltd v Norwich Union Insurance [2002] EWHC 968 (Comm); [2003] Lloyd’s Rep IR 110. [Back]