AIA Australia Ltd v Richards (No 3) [2017] FCA 1069

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

AIA Australia Ltd v Richards (No 3) [2017] FCA 1069 File number: NSD 1853 of 2016

Judge: ALLSOP CJ

Date of judgment: 11 September 2017

Catchwords: INSURANCE – insurance contract providing for total disablement benefits – allegations of fraudulent claims made by respondent under contract – right to prospectively cancel insurance contract for sufficiently serious breach of contract – recoverability of investigation costs – summary judgment entered in favour of applicant

Legislation: Evidence Act 1995 (Cth), s 69 Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth), s 31A Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth), ss 11, 13, 56, 59A Federal Court Rules 2011 (Cth), rr 10.49, 39.05 Explanatory Memorandum, Insurance Contracts Amendment Bill 2013 (Cth) Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters. Opened for signature 15 November 1965. 658 UNTS 163 (entered into force 1 November 2010)

Cases cited: AIA Australia Ltd v Richards [2017] FCA 84 AIA Australia Ltd v Richards (No 2) [2017] FCA 539 Alexander Raymond Walton v The Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society Ltd [2004] NSWSC 616 AMP Financial Planning Pty Ltd v CGU Insurance Ltd [2004] FCA 1330; 139 FCR 223 AXA General Insurance Ltd v Gottlieb [2005] EWCA Civ 112; Lloyd's Rep IR 369 Britton v Royal Insurance Co (1866) 4 F&F 905; 176 ER 843 European Bank Ltd v Evans [2010] HCA 6; 240 CLR 432 Hadley v Baxendale (1854) 9 Ex 341; 156 ER 145 Manifest Shipping Co Ltd v Uni-Polaris Shipping Co Ltd [2001] UKHL 1; [2003] 1 AC 469 Tabcorp Holdings Ltd v Bowen Investments Pty Ltd [2009] HCA 8; 236 CLR 272 Versloot Dredging BV v HDI Gerling Industrie Versicherung AG [2016] UKSC 45; [2017] AC 1 Enright I & Merkin R, Sutton on Insurance Law (4th ed, Thomson Reuters, 2015)