Patrick Bracher (ZA)

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Cyber insurance and the war exclusion

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on July 16, 2019 Posted in Insurance

Cyber insurers should note the debate going on in London regarding reform of the war exclusion clause in cyber insurance. The perpetrators of cyber incidents are often untraceable and it is difficult to ascertain whether they constitute state-sponsored acts of war subject to the war exclusion clause. There is at least one pending action where … Continue reading

Prescription under performance bond commences on demand

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on July 10, 2019 Posted in Insurance

Where an insurer provided a performance bond/guarantee in which it undertook to pay ‘on receipt of a written notice from the seller’ saying that the purchaser had defaulted, it was held that extinctive prescription only started to run when demand for payment was made even though three years had passed since the default event. The … Continue reading

No claim for blowtorch-damaged jewellery: care, custody or control exclusion (US)

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on July 10, 2019 Posted in Insurance

A New Jersey appeals court refused to grant cover for a loss of $4 million worth of opals ruined inside a safe that had to be opened with a blowtorch. The claim was made against the company that sold the safe and were involved in the day long effort to get the safe opened when it … Continue reading

Meaning of the word ‘acquire’ and other interpretation issues

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on July 3, 2019 Posted in General

A building contractor sought to argue that the word ‘acquire’ in the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act 1998 meant ‘buying or obtaining ownership’. The court held that the primary meaning of ‘acquire’ is ‘come to possess something’. The suggestion that persons who have rented their places of permanent residence have not ‘acquired a home’ as … Continue reading

Evidence of sudden and accidental pollution rejected (US)

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on July 3, 2019 Posted in Insurance

A corporation which operated two industrial sites found significant amounts of ground water contamination. Its attempt to get insurance cover on the basis that the pollution was sudden and accidental was unsuccessful because the evidence of its expert was rejected as not being based on sound methodology. The pollution exclusion therefore defeated the claim. On … Continue reading

Powers of CIPC to investigate a Companies Act related complaint

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on June 25, 2019 Posted in General

The Supreme Court of Appeal made important findings regarding the powers of the Companies Commission to investigate a complaint. Where the complaint relates to the inaccuracy of the company records as to who was a director, the failure to ensure that the record was maintained accurately constitutes either an ongoing act or omission under section 219(1)(a) … Continue reading

Cyber risk warnings for insurers

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on June 18, 2019 Posted in Insurance

The cautionary warnings continue for insurers regarding the cyber risks that they underwrite. Although cybersure is seen as one of the major opportunities for the insurance industry, there are a number of risks including the increasing frequency of cyberattacks, the difficulty in pricing for the risks, and the fact that existing policies, including liability and … Continue reading

The elements of defamation

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on June 11, 2019 Posted in General

The Johannesburg High Court discussed the balance between the constitutional right of freedom of expression and the required respect for inherent dignity ‘to all human beings’. The defendant argued the allegedly defamatory statements made about the plaintiff were true and in the public interest. It is for the defendant in a defamation claim to establish … Continue reading

When the Master compiles a panel of liquidators it is administrative action

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on June 9, 2019 Posted in General

One of the functions of the Master of the High Court is to compile a panel of suitable candidates to be appointed as liquidators or trustees of insolvent persons and to remove people who are unsuitable. The adding or exclusion of persons from the panel is administrative action for the purposes of the Promotion of … Continue reading

Exclusion of liability in carriage document for deck cargo

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on June 9, 2019 Posted in General

Where a bill of lading provided that ‘the carrier shall in no case be responsible for loss of or damage to the cargo, howsoever arising … in respect of deck cargo’ the English High Court held that the provision effectively excluded liability for deck cargo which was lost overboard from the vessel in heavy seas. … Continue reading

Employees of municipality and government proportionately liable for breach of finance management laws

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on June 6, 2019 Posted in General

Where a former managing director of a municipal entity was sued by that entity for alleged breach of the Municipal Finance Management Act 2003 (MFMA) it was held that she was entitled to join 19 other municipal officials on the ground that they were allegedly joint wrongdoers and equally liable to the municipality if she … Continue reading

Importing a tacit term into a contract

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on May 28, 2019 Posted in Drafting tips

Where a non-variation clause and a whole agreement clause were included in a comprehensive contract dealing in detail with the subject matter between the parties, the court refused to import a tacit term into the contract. A tacit term is an unexpressed provision in the contract which derives from the common intention of the parties … Continue reading

Take implementation, good faith and disclosure clauses seriously

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on May 28, 2019 Posted in Drafting tips, General

Where one of the parties to a contract had secretly entered into agreements with third parties to gain an unfair advantage for itself, the court held that it was in breach of the good faith and non-disclosure provisions and liable for damages. The implementation clause required the parties ‘to do all such things, perform all … Continue reading

Suspensive condition of tender not met – no valid contract

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on May 15, 2019 Posted in General

A builder submitted a tender to the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) for construction of a school. The tender was ‘conditionally accepted’ and further documents had to be submitted by a deadline date after which the construction contract would be signed. The documents were not submitted in time nor was the construction contract signed. … Continue reading

What’s on the horizon for the insurance industry in 2019?

By Natasha Naidoo and Patrick Bracher (ZA) on May 7, 2019 Posted in Insurance

Our lawyers across ten jurisdictions have created a guide detailing the top legal concerns for insurers from various regions. Some developments are concerns only in a specific market while other topics appear to be common across several jurisdictions. Increasing focus on personal accountability, greater oversight of distribution chains and the protection of customer interests and … Continue reading

Concourt will only decide on non-constitutional law points if in the interests of justice

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on May 2, 2019 Posted in General

Where an appeal does not raise any constitutional issue, the South African Constitutional Court will only consider a law point on appeal if the interests of justice require it to do so no matter how interesting, arguable or important the point is. The applicant in Tiekiedraai Eiendomme (Pty) Ltd v Shell South Africa Marketing (Pty) … Continue reading

Difference between advice and information provided by a professional (for example a broker) – English law

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on April 23, 2019 Posted in Insurance

English law relating to professional negligence draws an interesting distinction between whether the professional person is giving information or giving advice. This is not specifically part of South African law but it is relevant when considering liability, for instance, of brokers under the FAIS Act. The difference is between providing information for the purpose of … Continue reading

Principles of contract for the benefit of a third party (stipulatio alteri)

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on April 16, 2019 Posted in Drafting tips

A recent academic article by Dr Rika van Zyl argues persuasively that, where there is a contract for the benefit of a third party, the third party accepts the benefit of the contract between the other two parties and not to become a party to the contract. In drafting such contracts you must make sure the … Continue reading

Burden of proof in actions against ship owner for loss of cargo and the principles of bailment (UK)

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on April 16, 2019 Posted in General

England’s highest court finally, after over four centuries of reported decisions on the issue, definitively held that the burden of proof lies on the carrier where cargo owners sue a ship owner for loss or damage to cargo. If the carrier could and should have taken precautions which would have prevented some inherent characteristic of … Continue reading

Use of a vehicle includes a passenger opening a car door

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on April 8, 2019 Posted in Insurance

Extraordinarily, a case involving a passenger opening a car door and scratching a neighbouring vehicle in a supermarket carpark led to a decision before the Court of Justice of the European Union. Europe’s highest court found that this is ‘use of vehicles’ for the purposes of motor vehicle insurance. The event happened in Latvia where … Continue reading

Relief denied for director who put personal interests first (US)

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on April 8, 2019 Posted in General

Under the business judgment rule, a director or officer may be excused from conduct which has adverse circumstances for the company if their judgment, albeit poor judgment, was exercised in good faith and in the interests of the company. In an action in Delaware, USA, the CEO was denied this assistance by the court because, … Continue reading

Repudiation of a contract

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on April 4, 2019 Posted in General

Where the purchase price of imported sugar included the import duty and the purchase price had to be reduced if the duty was reduced, the persistent claim by the seller for the unreduced amount was a repudiation and led to the lawful cancellation of the sugar contract. Payment of the sugar contract was to be … Continue reading