Mitchell v Great Lakes Reinsurance (UK) Plc

"Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There's no better rule."

So wrote Charles Dickens in the exchange between Mr Jaggers and Pip in Great Expectations. This proved to be apposite in the case of Mitchell v Great Lakes Reinsurance (UK) Plc where our insurance litigation team acted for the insurers.

This case is of interest to insurance lawyers and to the insurance industry in the interpretation of 'sole cause' clauses in insurance contracts. The case involved a personal accident insurance policy and how the court should interpret policy wording entitling the insured to benefits if he was injured and that injury was the sole cause of death. Given the limited case law in the UK, the case drew on international jurisprudence.