British regulator hauls QBE into coronavirus court case

QBE is in the thick of it: it's also facing a separate class action in
Britain, alongside Aviva, from the hospitality sector. Law firm Mishcon
de Reya hopes to marshall a critical mass of litigants for that by the
end of this week.

Mishcon's separate action targets only QBE and Aviva, and looks set to go ahead despite the FCA's broader effort.

Mishcon partner Sonia Campbell said in a statement in May that her team had been "overwhelmed by the expressions of interest in bringing actions against insurers from within the hospitality industry". She described the insurance industry as "intransigent".

Ms Campbell said the potential class action had been limited to the specific policy wordings used by Aviva and QBE, and the firm was referring customers of other insurers to the FCA's test case.

AFR
Hans van Leeuwen
Europe correspondent
Jun 2, 2020 – 3.30am