UK COURT INSISTS ON JURISDICTION OF CANADIAN MUNICIPAL REINSURANCE CONTRACT
Recently, Ontario Municipal Insurance Exchange applied for an order from the UK Royal Court of Justice dismissing an action against it, arguing that England was not the proper forum for the action brought against it by Stonebridge Underwriting Limited (a Lloyd’s underwriter). The claim arose out of an alleged failure by Stonebridge to pay under a 2001-2002 reinsurance contract. The Judge denied Ontario’s request, finding that the concurrent proceedings initiated by Ontario against JTL Canada (on issues directly related to this case) in Canadian Court did not provide a decisive reason for the UK Court to decline jurisdiction. The Court was mindful of the fact that many of the witnesses and much of the evidence were present in Canada, but that these issues were outweighed by the factors in favor of English jurisdiction. The Court noted that a great deal of London reinsurance relates to risk around the globe, and that often, the UK is still the most appropriate jurisdiction. Stonebridge Underwriting Ltd. v. Ontario Mun. Ins. Exchange, [2010] EWHC 2279 (Queen’s Bench Oct. 9, 2010).
This post written by John Black.
