What is the Insured’s Duty Under a Marine Insurance Policy? It Depends …
The law governing marine insurance in the United States has long been a source of considerable confusion. And if there was once a clear set of principles applicable in such cases, the Supreme Court long ago muddied the waters with their infamous ruling in Wilburn Boat Co. v. Fireman’s Fund Ins. Co., 348 U.S. 310 (1955). That case, involving a fire on a houseboat on an inland man-made lake on the Texas-Oklahoma border, established the “litmus test” for when maritime law should…
Key Elements of Yacht Insurance, Q&A
Accidents happen. That comes as no surprise to those in the insurance industry, but what may be a surprise is the fact that the majority of maritime accidents occur in good weather with perfect visibility. In the following Q&A, Joseph McNulty, founding member of Carroll McNulty & Kull, joins Richard Furman and John Orzel, members of the same law firm, in a discussion on the key elements of marine insurance and what underwriters and claims professionals need to know about federal laws governing the maritime industry. Q. Let's start at the beginning. What is marine insurance?
Uberrimae Fidei is Alive and Well
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the validity of the principle of uberrimae fidei as applied to marine insurance contracts. Defendant fishing vessel owners insured their vessels with plaintiff marine insurers but failed to disclose that their policy with another company had been cancelled for non-payment of premiums and for failure to cooperate in the investigation of various marine casualties and oil spills that were the subject of claims. After the fishing vessel owners submitted various claims, plaintiff insurers commenced an investigation and learned that the owners had failed to disclose certain material facts when they applied for the policy. The insurers then brought this declaratory judgment action, seeking to have the policies declared void ab initio.
