On the liability of insurance companies, agents and insurance brokers for incorrect design on the part of the legislator Insurance brokers have always had a particularly heavy responsibility towards their customers. In the German Insurance Contract Act (VVG), the legislator has expressly defined the liability of the insurance intermediary in §§ 59 ff. VVG. […]
Artikel zum Thema: Reversal of burden of proof
No protection against malicious actions
– How FIFA, Microsoft, WPs, BP and the Mafia are sued under the same law – VW is – hopefully – not a criminal organization, just like Microsoft, BP, the FIFA or auditors (WPs) of Russian companies. Surely VW only admitted the objective circumstances in a legally preventive way, or rather admitted something of which […]
Rürup pension: Frequent false advice from brokers
– When incomplete advice enables the complete reversal – The OLG Saarbrücken (judgement of 26.02.2014, file no. 5 U 64/13) decided that the insurance broker has to point out the differences between the Rürup or basic pension and other models of a flexible private pension (already: OLG Stuttgart, in: VersR 2007, 1069). For example, information […]
Framework contracts in professional liability insurance
Laws and professional codes of conduct require many professions to take out liability insurance for financial loss, but also sometimes for personal injury and damage to property. The content and scope of the minimum insurance is regulated differently depending on the profession. If a GmbH provides tax advice, financial losses amounting to € 250,000 must […]
Questionable damage – highly questionable fraud?
How FIFA, Microsoft, WPs, BP and the Mafia are sued under the same law and pilloried through American glasses, Dr. Johannes Fiala and Dipl.-Math. Peter A. Schramm explain in a multi-part article. The first part was about the “Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act”, a US federal law that makes this kind of jurisdiction possible. […]
How the broker may also have duties of protection against third parties – Part 2
A lack of documentation already leads to courts deciding to the detriment of the insurance broker, even reversing the burden of proof. This problem may still have to be compensated in individual cases by a constantly uncertain witness evidence. A major problem is the so-called secondary burden of proof, which has been required by courts […]
Liability for missing documentation, even in case of correct advice: Part 1
A recent ruling of the Higher Regional Court of Cologne of 26.02.2016 (Case No. 20 U 102/15) underlines the “obligation of the broker to inform the policyholder that the intended change to private health insurance (PKV) may affect the insurance cover of his or her spouse and the financial burdens associated with it”. The spouse […]
Discussions on legal protection
Recent insurance cases in legal expenses insurance lead to the question: When is it useful to take out a coverage claim in the event of a refusal of benefits? Insurance companies offer the customer a good feeling until the customer is then faced with a mostly justified refusal of benefits in the event of […]
Insurance brokers are liable for missing documentation even if they have given correct advice
– As the broker also has duties of protection against third parties – A recent ruling of the Higher Regional Court of Cologne of 26.02.2016 (Case No. 20 U 102/15) underlines the “obligation of the broker to inform the policyholder that the intended change to private health insurance (PKV) may affect the insurance cover […]
Legal protection: When is it worthwhile to take out a cover action?
Insurance companies offer the customer a good feeling until the customer is then faced with a mostly justified refusal of benefits in the event of a claim. The vast majority of intermediaries have hardly any market overview for a comparison of offers at home and abroad – especially not the customer. The broker lets a […]