Expert costs charged to insurer for reckless conduct

ATA/201/1995Court of Justice / Administrative ChamberApr 11, 1995Partially Granted

Extracted by Omnilex

Omnilex summary

The dispute concerned the allocation of expert costs in an accident insurance matter. The insurer had appointed a super-expert but then refused to follow that expert's opinion. The court held that this conduct was, at minimum, careless within the meaning of Art. 108(1)(a) LAA. As a result, the expert costs were charged to the insurer.

Omnilex headnote

Art. 108 al. 1 lit. a LAA; allocation of expert costs in accident insurance proceedings. A party that, after having itself appointed a super-expert, disregards that expert’s opinion acts at least carelessly within the meaning of the provision. Such conduct justifies charging the expert costs to that party, even if its behaviour cannot be qualified as outright reckless. The decisive factor is the objectively negligent disregard of the expert assessment; the statutory cost-shifting mechanism applies where the party’s conduct has occasioned unnecessary expert proceedings (consid. not stated).

Full text

Descripteurs

ASSURANCE SOCIALE; ACCIDENT; AA; FRAIS DE LA PROCEDURE; EXPERTISE

Normes

LAA.108

Résumé

En refusant de suivre l'avis du surexpert qu'elle avait elle-même désignée, l'intimée a agi, sinon témérairement, mais du moins à la légère au sens de l'art.108 al.1 litt.a LA. En conséquence, les frais d'expertise ont été mis à sa charge.

Keywords

social insuranceaccident insuranceexpert reportexpert costscost allocationcarelessness

Extracted by Omnilex

Key legal questions extracted by Omnilex

Key legal question

Whether the insurer's refusal to follow its own super-expert justified charging it with the expert costs under Art. 108 LAA.

Extracted holding

By disregarding the super-expert's opinion it acted, if not recklessly, at least carelessly within the meaning of Art. 108(1)(a) LAA; the expert costs were therefore to be borne by the insurer.

Extracted reasoning

The court considered the insurer's conduct in light of Art. 108 LAA and held that the disregard of the super-expert opinion met the statutory standard allowing costs to be imposed on the party acting carelessly.

Expert costs charged to insurer for reckless conductAI generated