Oliver Saunders

A selection of Oliver's recent experience includes:

• Successfully defending a leading London Market insurer in relation to Covid-19 business interruption losses in both the Commercial Court and then again in the Court of Appeal. Reported decisions: Bellini (N/E) Ltd trading as Bellini v Brit UW Limited [2023] EWHC 1545 (Comm) and [2024] EWCA Civ 435.
• Advising a market leading Lloyd’s aviation re/insurer in relation to its Russia/Ukraine conflict exposures in the UK, US and Ireland (both Contingent and Operator exposures). Reported decision: AerCap Ireland Capital Designated Activity Company and Ors. v PJSC Insurance Company Universalna and Ors [2024] EWHC 1365 (Comm).
• Acting on behalf of a market of global reinsurers in arbitration proceedings brought by a State-Owed Credit Agency concerning the insolvency of a Hong Kong headquartered cruise and resort business.
• Defending a Continental Company Insurer in a Bermuda Form arbitration following an oil spill on the west coast of the US.
• Advising a Continental Company Reinsurer in relation to Life and PA losses arising from the Israel-Hamas conflict.
• Advising a plethora of insurers in relation to their potential inwards exposures to Covid-19 non-damage business interruption claims, including as a committee member of the Property Insurance Claims Group (a sub-group of the Lloyd's Market Association).
• Actively defending reinsurers in relation to significant Covid-19 claims presented to CAT XL, Per Risk and Stop Loss treaties covering the following classes of business: (i) property; (ii) contingency; and (iii) travel.
• Advising a Continental Company Reinsurer in connection with a GBP35mn+ claim brought by it against a Retrocessionaire concerning underlying UK retail business losses.
• Regular advisor to re/insurers in the global trade credit and political risk market, including in an advisory capacity regarding policy wordings.
• Advising a Continental Company Reinsurer in relation to potentially significant exposures to underlying Middle Eastern motor business.
• Drafting policy wordings (and associated documents subject to SAMA compliance) on behalf of reinsurers in relation to (fronted) policy wordings concerning the NEOM construction project in Saudi Arabia.
• Regular advisor to insurers in connection with claims brought by well-known athletes and HNW individuals under disability income policies and similar insurance products.
• Acted on a GBP60m arbitration concerning a Contractors’ All Risks insurance policy in relation to the construction of one of Europe’s largest infrastructure projects of the past decade.
• Defending a Bermudan headquartered run-off specialist against a Part 8 claim commenced following the acquisition of Lloyd's Syndicate 1110 in respect of alleged liabilities concerning earlier Years of Account. Reported decision: Prosight Global, Inc. v Randall & Quilter II Holdings Limited, Randall & Quilter Underwriting Management Holdings Limited [2021] EWHC 228 (Comm).
• Defending a Lloyd’s reinsurance broker against an approx. GBP20m claim. Reported decision: Equitas v Walsham Bros. [2013] EWHC 3264 (Comm).

• DLA Piper's Practical Guide for Claims Managers in 2022 - Part 1: Notification of Claims
• DLA Piper's Practical Guide for Claims Managers in 2022 - Part 5: Policy terms and what they mean for insurers
• DLA Piper's Practical Guide for Claims Managers in 2022 - Part 10: Reinsurance claims handling considerations
• DLA Piper's Practical Guide for Claims Managers in 2022 Part 11: Limitation
• Reinsurance implications of the Supreme Court's judgment in the FCA business interruption Test Case
• UK Supreme Court hands down judgment in the FCA's COVID-19 non-damage business interruption insurance test case