MetLife Insurance Ltd v Hellessey [2018] NSWCA 307

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: MetLife Insurance Ltd v Hellessey [2018] NSWCA 307 Hearing dates: 24 and 25 May 2018 Date of orders: 12 December 2018 Decision date: 12 December 2018 Before: McColl JA at [1]; Meagher JA at [2]; White JA at [65] Decision: Appeal dismissed with costs. Catchwords: INSURANCE – life insurance – benefit conditional on insurer's satisfaction as to insured member's total and permanent disablement – overlapping obligations requiring insurer to act reasonably and fairly in considering question under policy and determining whether it was so satisfied – insurer's outright rejection of lay witness material significant to its reasons for discounting medical expert evidence that supported insured member's claim – unchallenged inference from absence of rational or persuasive reasons for such rejection that insurer failed to engage with material – whether breach of obligations to act reasonably and fairly Cases Cited: Capital Securities XV Pty Ltd (formerly known as Prime Capital Securities Pty Ltd) v Calleja [2018] NSWCA 26 Edwards v Hunter Valley Coop Dairy Co Ltd (1992) 7 ANZ Ins Cas 61-113 Hannover Life Re of Australasia Ltd v Jones [2017] NSWCA 233 Hannover Life Re of Australasia Ltd v Sayseng [2005] NSWCA 214; (2005) 13 ANZ Ins Cas 90-123 MetLife Insurance Ltd v FSS Trustee Corporation [2014] NSWCA 281 Minister for Immigration and Citizenship v Li (2013) 249 CLR 332; [2013] HCA 18 Minister for Immigration and Water Protection v Stretton (2016) 237 FCR 1; [2016] FCAFC 11 TAL Life Ltd v Shuetrim; MetLife Insurance Ltd v Shuetrim (2016) 91 NSWLR 439; [2016] NSWCA 68 Torbey Investments Corporated Pty Ltd v Ferrara [2017] NSWCA 9 Category: Principal judgment Parties: MetLife Insurance Ltd (Appellant) Bernadette Hellessey (Respondent) Representation: Counsel: G Watson SC, C Purdy (Appellant) BD Dooley SC, JC Lee (Respondent)