[Home] [Databases] [World Law] [Multidatabase Search] [Help] [Feedback] | ||
England and Wales High Court (Commercial Court) Decisions |
||
You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> England and Wales High Court (Commercial Court) Decisions >> Korea National Insurance Corp v Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty AG [2007] EWHC 1744 (Comm) (24 July 2007) URL: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Comm/2007/1744.html Cite as: [2007] EWHC 1744 (Comm), [2007] Lloyd's Rep IR Plus 47 |
[New search] [Printable RTF version] [Help]
QUEEN'S BENCH DIVISION
COMMERCIAL COURT
Strand, London, WC2A 2LL |
||
B e f o r e :
____________________
KOREA NATIONAL INSURANCE CORPORATION |
Claimant |
|
- and - |
||
ALLIANZ GLOBAL CORPORATE & SPECIALTY AG (formerly known as ALLIANZ MARINE & AVIATION VERSICHERUNGS AG) (London Branch) (on its own behalf and on behalf of the reinsurers subscribing to Policy Number AJFM157 for the 2004 year of account) |
Defendant |
____________________
Gordon Pollock QC & David Scorey & Damien Walker (instructed by Clyde & Co) for the Defendant
Hearing dates: 18th May 2007
____________________
Crown Copyright ©
Mr. Justice David Steel:
i) The contract contained an express "claims control" clause which provided: " the reinsurers shall have the sole right to appoint adjusters, assessors, surveyors and/or lawyers and to control all negotiations, adjustments and settlements in connection with such loss or losses."
ii) it was to cover "the original insured's legal liability to third parties (excluding liability to occupants and cargo) being bodily injury and property damage arising out of their operation of aircraft as per schedule as original";
iii) the limit of liability for claims involving legal liability to third parties for bodily injury/property damage was 75million each accident, except for claims involving MI-8 helicopters in which case the limit was 45million each accident;
iv) a subsequent condition extended cover to "crew and non-revenue passengers for accidental bodily injury including death whilst engaging in air travel only; sum insured EUR 20,000 each person";
v) the Lloyds simultaneous settlement clause LPO438 was to apply. This states that "reinsurers agree to pay their share of any loss hereon simultaneously with insurers participating in the original insurance";
vi) pursuant to a currency conversion clause, claims in Euros were to be paid in Euros and claims in local currency were to be paid in Euros at an exchange rate of NKW 160 to Euros 1;
vii) the contract was subject to the laws and jurisdiction of DPRK; and
viii) the schedule of aircraft covered included amongst others MI-8 Helicopter registration no. 313.
i) a claim that there is a defect in the judgment of the DPRK court arising out of the use of representative proceedings;
ii) an alleged fraud on the DPRK court in having failed to inform it that the dispute had been (conditionally) settled in December 2005 and that all rights and obligations under the policy were discharged by 8 March 2006 at the latest (it is to be noted that this plea occupies no less than 180 paragraphs of the defence and counter-claim);
iii) an alleged lack of jurisdiction on the same basis;
iv) an alleged fraud on the DPRK court in having failed to inform it that to the Claimant's knowledge the underlying insurance claim was fraudulent
v) a public policy defence on the basis that the English court should not enforce the judgment of the courts of DPRK because its judiciary is partial and is flawed.
i) that the document was the "Defence and Counterclaim of Allianz only"
ii) that the Claimant "has purported to commence these proceedings against Allianz on its own behalf and on behalf of all reinsurers"
iii) that "no admissions are made as to whether it is appropriate to use that procedure "
iv) that "this statement of case is not served on behalf of remaining reinsurers"
i) Para 1.1 - "has purported to commence" should be amended to "has commenced"
ii) Para 1.2 - should be deleted
"A suit may be brought by one or several parties against one or several parties. The co-plaintiffs or co-defendants shall conduct acts of litigation indifferently and may leave such acts in the hands of the other co-plaintiff or co-defendants."
"A suit may be brought by one party against one party or several parties or by several parties against one party or several parties.
Several parties shall mean two or more parties having the same interest in a case.
In case when a representative or the position as a representative is ascertained or ascertainable amongst the several parties, one party is entitled to bring suit against a representative or a person holding the position as representative and representative or a person the position as representative can bring suit against one party.
Several parties are deemed to be co-defendants where one party brings a suit against each of several parties and co-plaintiffs where several parties respectively bring suit against one party.
The co-plaintiffs or co-defendants shall conduct acts of litigation independently. Where such acts are to be assigned to other co-plaintiffs or co-defendants, a letter of attorney shall be issued."
i) In the course of November and December 2005 there were settlement discussions between the Claimant and reinsurers.
ii) The catalyst for these discussions was the comparison between the contractual rate of exchange of 1 = NKW160 and the open market rate of exchange of 1 = NKW1000 to 3000, together with reservations about the scope of the coverage, the legitimacy of the claim and the scale of the damage allegedly sustained in the incident.
iii) The Defendant's reservations about the claim and about the potential hard currency windfall to the Claimant were conveyed at a meeting in London on 11 November 2005.
iv) At a second meeting held on 1 December the Claimant's representative made a statement to the effect that the Claimant would offer to work with reinsurers and Air Koryo to settle the underlying claim in NKW, thereby ignoring the exchange rate provision of the reinsurance contract, but warned that it was not expected that the reinsurers could obtain the necessary NKW.
v) A further meeting took place on 23 December. In the interim the Claimant had received an expert's report which commented on the "unnaturally rapid spread of fire" and the quantity of debris being inconsistent with the claimed volume of goods stored. This report was handed to the Claimant's representative at the meeting.
vi) At the meeting, the representatives of the Defendant asked whether, if the appropriate NKW became available through the activities of their agents, "everyone would be happy". The response of the Claimant's broker was: "Yes". By means of that exchange and D & CC para 97.1 "Either Ko (Pyongyang) or Ko (London) confirmed and reiterated that, if Reinsurers could obtain the NKW, they had a deal", it was pleaded, a settlement was achieved.
vii) Indeed it was further pleaded that later in the same meeting, Mr Clarabut confirmed that, if reinsurers could obtain the NKW, reinsurers had a deal.
viii) Thereafter the Defendant took elaborate steps to obtain the necessary NKW. The outcome was successful in that by 8 March 2006 reinsurers had made arrangements for the Claimant to be credited with a sum consisting of or equivalent to the claim in NKW pursued by Air Koryo.
ix) This arrangement was agreed by China's Central Bank and other relevant bodies. As a result, the Claimant was obliged to accept the amount tendered and, by implication in the settlement agreement, to furnish a release.
"By 23 December 2005 at the latest, KNIC had entered into a binding agreement with Reinsurers ("the Settlement Agreement") which compromised the parties' respective rights and obligations under the Reinsurance Contract."
Correspondence
i) The assertion in February by Mr. Tylee, the agent engaged by the Defendant to obtain NKW, that an arrangement to settle in NKW had been reached and the failure of the Claimant's representatives to contradict that assertion;
ii) Mr. Clarabut's assertion on 9 March that he knew that the Claimant "had agreed to accept" the claim in NKW.
iii) Mr. Clarabut's "admission" on 10 April that, if reinsurers were able to obtain sufficient NKW to indemnify the Claimant against Air Koryo's claim against the Claimant, "would accept payment of that amount in NKW".
iv) Mr. Clarabut's statement on 6 July that the Claimant had agreed at the meeting on 23 December that payment of an indemnity in NKW would be acceptable.
i) The context is important. Given the size of the claim and the significance of the currency exchange clause, it is wholly improbable if not inconceivable that the Claimant and reinsurers would reach (or be viewed as intending to reach) a settlement without a written record of the agreement, or at least a minute of the meeting in which the compromise was achieved. It is not just that the financial implications of the currency conversion clause were so great. The exchanges referred to in the Defence and Counterclaim were couched in fairly casual language. Yet the parties were highly suspicious of each other: indeed the underlying claim was said by the Defendant to be fraudulent in whole or in part.
ii) It is impossible to reconcile the existence of any agreement on either party's part to be bound by the terms of a settlement with the contemporary correspondence. On this topic it is convenient simply to refer to some striking examples:-
a) Immediately after the meeting on 23 December, Mr. Clarabut sent an internal email to Mr. Ko. It makes no reference to any discussion on the topic, let alone a settlement conditional or otherwise. It merely takes the issue of payment on account on from the earlier discussion.
b) The Claimant's solicitors were first instructed in January 2006 and wrote to the reinsurers' solicitors on 25 January 2006: "Our client is becoming increasingly concerned at reinsurers' delay in accepting their liability to meet this claim." Yet this letter was written only a month after the "settlement". The response of reinsurers' solicitors the very next day is wholly inconsistent with the existence of a settlement. It merely states that reinsurers continue to refute liability. There is no mention of the meeting or its content.
c) There ensued further exchanges relating to steps needed to defend Air Koryo's claim. It culminated in a letter from the reinsurers' solicitors dated 23 February 2006:
"We have explained why your Clients are not liable to reimburse the original insured. If they should nonetheless choose so to do then that will be at their own risk."
This comment would be incomprehensible if the settlement had been proposed let alone achieved.
d) On 10 March, the Claimant's solicitors specifically ask whether (by reference to a draft settlement agreement) the reinsurers were making an offer of settlement by way of payment of NKW 6billion. The response was to the effect that an intermediary had been appointed by the reinsurers' solicitors to assist "to conclude a settlement". This is inconsistent with such a proposal having even been discussed at the earlier meeting
e) On 13 March 2006, only five days after the date on which the reinsurers say the condition was satisfied, their solicitors merely state:
"To avoid misunderstanding, Reinsurers' position as against your client is and remains fully reserved and there is no admission of liability."
This is impossible to reconcile with the contract having been discharged by consent.
f) In a letter dated 23 March 2006, the Claimant's' solicitors made it plain that any proposal to settle the claim in NKW would be a serious breach of NK exchange control laws. This stance was repeated in a letter of 3 April expressing concern as to the legality of the "proposed" settlement:
"In the absence of any satisfactory explanation, I do not believe a settlement is achievable."
The inscrutable response from reinsurers, without any reference to the discussions, let alone the settlement, was:
"First my personal apologies for not having responded to your earlier letter. How shall I put it - there are unusual aspects of dealing with matters in North Korea which do not lend themselves to the conventional approach."
g) Jumping ahead, the Reinsurers' solicitors wrote on 17 May as follows:
"Less there should be any doubt, Reinsurers' position remains fully reserved. Indeed in recent months information gathered concerning this claim gives Reinsurers further serious doubts as to its validity.
As you are aware Reinsurers have developed discussions directly with KNIC which it is hoped will resolve matters. If this is not the case then please rest assured no stone will be left unturned in the vigorous resistance of this claim."
This expressly identifies discussions which have yet to resolve anything. Yet on the Reinsurers pleaded case this letter was written 5 months after the settlement agreement and 2 months after the condition was satisfied discharging the contract.
h) It was not until the letter of 28 June 2006 that the Reinsurers' solicitors suggested that some form of understanding had been reached on 23 December 2005. But no suggestion whatsoever is made that the outcome had been a binding agreement of any kind. To the contrary, the letter makes it plain that discussions were continuing and had yet to achieve a result:
" if your Clients do not in the very near future confirm the previously acceptable arrangement of payment in North Korean Won, these discussions [concerning the efforts to consummate settlement in this matter] and any efforts to settle the matter will be terminated."
i) The correspondence thereafter confirms the continuation of negotiations.
i) There was no apparent mechanism for identifying the amount payable save by reference to the policy limits.
ii) There was no agreement on the exchange rate for the purposes of any payment on account in Euros.
iii) There was said to be a somewhat implied term to the effect that the Claimant would issue a receipt and release to reinsurers on receipt of payment in NKW.
"24.In many respects, KNIC's complaint about the adequacy of the pleading and the terms of the agreement are derived from an analysis that the agreement was to constitute a full and final binding settlement between the parties and that, KNIC contends, various further intrinsic and fundamental maters were left unresolved. However, quite apart from the points made above, KNIC's complaints fall away once one analyses the true nature of the agreement between the parties, namely as a variation of the Reinsurance Contract for the purposes of performance for the payment of the KNIC Indemnity Amount (i.e. the payment of any indemnity in NKW rather than in Euros). Once this is understood, it is apparent that KNIC's complaints about the implied term and outstanding issues are misdirected."
i) Unlike the settlement agreement which would at least arguably be subject to English law, the proper law of any variation would be North Korean law. The evidence before the Court is to the effect that any variation of the policy must be in writing. (Indeed, even as a matter of English law and practice, it is striking that no endorsement was made to record it.)
ii) Unlike the settlement agreement, it is unclear what the limit of cover (expressed in Euros) would become if the currency clause became unenforceable.
iii) Unlike the settlement agreement, it is not arguable that the jurisdiction clause has been terminated. Thus the Defendant must establish a fraud on the Pyongyang Court in failing to draw the court's attention to the variation a proposition which has only been advanced in the Defendant's skeleton some two years later.