What Went Wrong With Directors And Officers Liability Insurance

“With the ever increasing number of claims against directors and officers, this book provides a very welcome addition to the bookshelves which hitherto have lacked books on this important area” - Alison Green, Chairman of the Trustees of the BILA Charitable Trust. This book scrutinises the origins and the rationale underlying D&O insurance, and provides answers to the question of protecting directors against the potential liabilities they may face. It provides clear understanding about D&O policies wording, exclusions and issues of misrepresentation. The information contained in this new book includes Nature and Legality of D&O Liability Insurance, D&O Exclusions, Directors’ and Officers’ Liability to Third Parties, Directors’ Liability at Civil Law, D&O: Defence Costs Cover and Allocation, Aggregation Principles and D&O Cover and the Reinsurance of D&O Policies.

This book examines such topics as: the risks officers and directors face, derivative and class actions, and when a corporation is required--or allowed-- to provide indemnification.

In recent years several cases concerning the liability of directors and officers have courted controversy. Arguments raised in such discussions oscillate between two extremes: on the one hand, the need for governing bodies to give a space to entrepreneurial discretion and on the other hand to ensure the protection of investors in and creditors of a company from the consequences of disadvantageous decisions by those bodies. In light of the geographical dispersal of the above stakeholders, the study offers a comparative insight into the liability of directors and officers in 10 key European jurisdictions (in particular, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain and Switzerland) and 4 non-European jurisdictions (namely Brazil, Israel, Turkey and the United States). Amongst other things it investigates existing company law principles on the topic and examines their interaction with tort law and other fields with a view to suggesting principles for better stakeholder protection. National reports are complemented by an economic analysis and insurance, conflict of laws and comparative reports. The study also benefits from case study analyses.

Directors’ and officers’ liability insurance was at one time considered essential only for large public corporations. Now, no public limited company anywhere in the world should be without it. Large private companies, charities, financial institutions, pension funds and all executive directors need to consider the risks. It is a widely held isconception that legal action cannot be taken against individual directors of limited liability companies. Directors’ and officers’ liability insurance is one of the fastest growing areas in the world insurance market. Company directors are facing increasingly onerous resonsibilities as shareholders demand higher standards of corporate governence. Recent years have seen more stringent laws on environmental liability and directorial responsibility for pollution is now a global concern. This new edition will answer the questions: Just what are the personal liability risks facing directors? How can they protect themselves against the increasing possibility of being sued? What are the latest developments? Ian Youngman cuts through the jargon and explains the intricacies of this kind of cover and how it relates to other forms of insurance. He includes examples of claims, as well as profiles of insurers specialising in this area. He also assesses the current and likely future status of D & O cover in all the world markets.