We have a wide range of expertise in liability law and insurance law. Our clients are companies, insurance undertakings, and private individuals. We assist them in disputes, and we advise them on issues relating to these subject matters.
Our liability & insurance practice covers all types of liabilities that can arise: contractual, tortious, and criminal liabilities, and liability in all sectors and professions (chemical, steel, telecom, and other sectors of the economy, and accountants, banks, company auditors, construction companies, consultants, property developers, etc.).
Regarding the medical sector and health law matters in particular, we assist healthcare providers and healthcare institutions in civil and criminal proceedings that relate to medical or paramedical conduct or the use of medical equipment.
Regarding insurances, we advise clients on business losses, professional liability, directors’ (and officers’) liability (D&O), construction all risks insurance (CAR), civil liability, product liability and product recalls, and property damage, and we also handle disputes relating to these types of matters.
Some examples of our work in liability law & insurance law include:
- assisting audit, consulting, tax, and advisory service providers in liability cases, including advising them on white-collar crime aspects;
- assisting a US commercial property casualty insurance company in relation to an industrial fire;
- assisting a financial institution in a class action (avant la lettre) relating to the sale of financial products by its independent agents following the financial crisis;
- assisting an insurer in a case on director’s liability following the bankruptcy of a coal trader at the port of Antwerp;
- assisting the sellers of an entity, which was the Belgian market leader in gaming and sports betting, in a post-acquisition dispute;
- advising two leading insurance companies, at their joint request, on the interpretation of conflicting provisions in a global master policy and in a local policy relating to the professional liability of a bank;
- assisting a medical device, pharmaceutical, and consumer-packaged goods manufacturing company in civil and criminal law matters, including product liability matters and disputes following the termination of exclusive distributorship agreements;
- defending a major Belgian insurance company on alleged misselling of life insurance contracts in a class action-type litigation;
- assisting a manufacturer of automotive parts, electronics, and HVAC equipment in its defence against an indemnification action brought by a chemical producer on grounds of alleged defects in a refrigeration unit that broke down and necessitated the shutting down of a part of a chemical plant;
- advising the Luxembourg federation of insurance companies on whether its proposed amendment to Luxembourg insurance law complies with EU law;
- defending a global materials technology and recycling group and its insurer in a product liability matter that gave rise to proceedings in Belgium, USA, France, and Germany;
- defending a European construction group in a case relating to the construction of an oil refinery at the Antwerp port area; this case was governed by Spanish law and subject to ICC arbitration in London;
- assisting a credit insurance company in arbitration proceedings on the validity of a set of contracts following the unwinding of a chartering company;
- assisting the subrogated insurance company in the recovery of indemnities paid following a fire at meatpacking facilities
