Introduction
Media West Zny Inc. v Insurance Corporation of British
Columbia, 2024 BCSC 625, clarifies the law on material
misrepresentations in the context of insurance contracts. The
decision highlights that, while a plaintiff's lack of
credibility or reliability alone may not justify dismissal of their
claim for coverage, failure to present evidence substantiating the
alleged misrepresentation as factually accurate can be fatal to
their case.
Background
When applying to insure two newly leased pickup trucks (the
"Trucks"), Mr. Zouaoui represented to
ICBC that they would be used for his paper delivery business, Media
West Zny Inc.("Media West"). When not in
use for deliveries, Mr. Zouaoui left the Trucks on a parking pad
owned by an acquaintance, Mr. Rao. On March 28, 2022, while
visiting his brother in Montreal, Mr. Zouaoui received a call from
the police notifying him that one of the Trucks had been burned.
Three days later, he received a second call from