Notification of Circumstances Likely to Give Rise to a Claim versus the and Effectiveness of Pursuing Claims under D&O Insurance Contracts

Abstract

Before concluding a D&O insurance contract, insurers request information about circumstances which are likely to give rise to a claim or proceedings against the insured in the future. Moreover, the insurance contract may impose an obligation on companies to notify the insurer of certain events that will become apparent after the conclusion of the contract. This article attempts to explain how the occurrence of the above circumstances affects the cover under D&O insurance contract with regard to claims that a company may bring against its directors and officers. The complexity of the relationship between entities covered by insurance and the structure of the insurance based on the claims-made trigger may exert certain influence on the effectiveness of the company's claims against directors and officers under insurance contract. Therefore, the article discusses only selected aspects related to the above-mentioned questions, i.e. the company's duty to inform the insurer about circumstances known before and after the conclusion of the insurance contract, as defined in Articles 815 and 818 of the Polish Civil Code, the risk of rendering the D&O insurance contract ineffective under Article 806 of the Polish Civil Code, in relation to known circumstances that occurred before the conclusion of the contract and, finally, the risk of limitation of claims under the insurance contract where the insurer has been notified of circumstances that may give rise to a claim or proceedings in the future.