Hollard Business Interruption Insurance Class Action

Overview

This is a Class Action against The Hollard Insurance Company Pty Ltd (Hollard). Hollard Commercial Insurance Pty Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hollard, acting as agent in providing business insurance products for businesses within Australia via insurance intermediaries.

The Hollard BII Class Action is conducted on behalf of businesses insured by Hollard during the period 19 January 2020 to 8 October 2021 and who have suffered business interruption losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Hollard BII Class Action seeks to facilitate a Court-supervised process for the assessment of the business interruption claims of all eligible Class Members. The Court will be asked to determine all issues that are relevant to whether insurance cover is available for COVID-19 related losses, and to also make orders defining a system for the efficient and independent quantification of the insured Class Member losses.

ICP Funding Pty Ltd and Investor Claim Partner Pty Ltd are the respective funder and manager.

The Class Action will be run by Slater & Gordon Lawyers, with support from ICP Funding Pty Ltd.

 

Background

Hollard Commercial Insurance Pty Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hollard, acting as agent in providing business insurance products for businesses within Australia via insurance intermediaries.

Several different forms of Hollard’s business insurance policy wordings exist which include cover for business interruption (BI) losses; certain policy wordings include cover for interruptions arising from particular outbreaks of disease.

Pursuing a business interruption claim individually against an insurer may be slow and time-consuming. Contesting any aspect of an insurer’s decision may involve legal cost and a possible exposure to liability to pay the insurer’s legal costs if unsuccessful.

The Class Action against Hollard provides eligible Class Members with an opportunity to have their COVID-19 business interruption claim determined at no upfront cost, and without exposure to any further costs if the action is unsuccessful.

Class Members will comprise all businesses that:

  • held a Hollard policy of business insurance that:
    • was in place during any part of the period from 19 January 2020 to 8 October 2021;
    • included cover for business interruption in the policy schedule;
    • included certain policy terms in the policy wording, including a reference to the Quarantine Act 1908 (Cth);
  • suffered interruption or interference to their business operations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; and
  • have not previously been indemnified by Hollard in respect of a claim for COVID-19 business interruption losses.

 

Register your interest

Class Members are encouraged to register their interest in the Hollard BII Scheme by clicking the “REGISTER YOUR INTEREST” button below, even if you’ve lodged a claim on your policy and it has been denied, or have been advised not to make a claim on your policy.

 

Am I Class Member in the Hollard BII class action?

Please review your insurance documents to work out if you are a Class Member in this litigation. These documents will include a policy schedule, and a policy wording or Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).

STEP ONE: please check if your policy schedule:

  • Identifies the insurer or underwriter of the policy as ‘The Hollard Insurance Company Pty Ltd‘ and/or ‘Hollard Commercial Insurance Pty Ltd‘;
  • Details a period of cover which indicates that the policy was in place at any time from 19 January 2020 to 8 October 2021; and
  • Includes a section of cover for ‘Business Interruption’ which specifies a limit of indemnity (or Sum Insured) in that section.

If your policy schedule meets all of the above criteria, proceed to step two below. If your policy does not meet the criteria, you are not an eligible Class Member.

STEP TWO: please review your policy wording (also known as the PDS) to check if the section for Business Interruption contains any clauses which refer to the Quarantine Act 1908 (Cth). If there are, you may be an eligible Class Member, provided that there are no endorsements to your policy wording that modify the references to the Quarantine Act 1908 (Cth) in the main part of the wording or PDS.

By registering, you will receive further information about the Class Action and how you can register, if you choose to do so.

 

I think I am a Class Member. What’s next?

Click on the “REGISTER YOUR INTEREST” button below to register an expression of interest to receive further information about the Class Action, including:

  • how to participate; and
  • updates about the progress of the Class Action.

 

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST

 

By registering your expression of interest, you are indicating your interest in receiving further information about the Class Action. Registering your expression of interest is not a commitment by any party to participate in funded litigation.