The contract excluded damages for consequential and indirect losses “(to the extent only that such are indirect or consequential loss or damage only) but not limited to loss of profits, loss of sales, loss of revenue, damage to reputation, loss or waste of management or staff time or interruption of business. Business interruption is the most obvious example. This could be illustrated by comparing a financial loss that results from a supply of a building product with a financial loss that … Indirect losses, often referred to in business insurance policies as "consequential losses," are not inflicted by the peril itself but describe losses suffered as a result or consequence of the direct loss. They usually take a similar form to the following, which is from clause 17.6 of the FIDIC Red Book: “Neither Party shall be liable to the other Party for loss of use of any Works, loss of profit, loss of any contract or for any indirect or consequential loss or … This may be recovered if it is determined such damages were reasonably foreseeable or "within the contemplation of the … Indirect Loss. Traditionally it was thought that indirect or consequential losses could be equated with the second limb of the test for remoteness laid down in Hadley v Baxendale (1854) 2 CLR 517. Consequential Loss. However, in order for someone to win consequential damages in a lawsuit, the damages must have been a foreseeable result of that incident. INDIRECT AND CONSEQUENTIAL LOSS CLAUSES UNDER SWISS LAW THOMAS SIEGENTHALER Dr. iur. Under the agreement, the … What might be a direct loss in one case may be a consequential loss in another. INTRODUCTION As commercial transactions grow ever more international, more and more contracts under Swiss law are being written in English. This type of loss arises when the individual or business loses earnings or rent on account of damages to property or tangible unit even if the tangible unit had insurance in place as protection. No, it is not best just left to lawyers! Is it just legal ‘mumbo jumbo’ or standard terminology best left to the lawyers to sort out? This case involved a claim by British Gas against Accenture over an agreement for the design, supply, installation and maintenance of a new IT system, including an automated gas and electricity billing system based on pre-packaged SAP … However, a recent case questions whether this will be correct in all cases. The TCC found that the “plain and natural” meaning of ‘indirect and consequential losses’ fell within the second limb of Hadley v Baxendale. Professional indemnity insurance premiums go sky-high following the Grenfell tragedy; December 16, 2019. In more exceptional circumstances, and under the second limb, are “indirect” losses or “consequential losses” - “losses likely to arise from special circumstances of the case ”. (Fribourg), MJur (Oxon), Attomey-at-Law. What does this mean? Loss of profit will not inherently be categorised as an “indirect or consequential loss” such that it may be caught by an exclusion clause for such losses. In Star Polaris LLC v HHIC-PHIL INC [2016] EWHC 2941 (Comm), a different interpretation as to what is meant by “consequential loss” was … The short answers are: The term ‘consequential loss’ has no fixed meaning and is open to legal interpretation. For example, clause 17.6 of the FIDIC Silver Book provides the following exclusion: “Neither Party shall be liable to the other Party for loss of use of any Works, loss of profit, loss of any contract or for any indirect or consequential loss or damage which may be suffered by the other Party in Consequential damages are damages that occur as an indirect result of an incident. What an exclusion clause actually excludes will depend on very much on the facts of the particular case, what country you are in, and, potentially, the judge you get on your day in court. Scenario 2 – Parties entered into an agreement for the design and supply of a billing system for a gas supplier to end users. Limitation or exclusion clauses which speak only of "consequential loss" or "indirect or consequential loss" ordinarily will not be effective to limit or exclude liability for direct loss of production, loss of revenue or loss of profit. (Fribourg), M Jur (Oxon), Attorney-at-Law Schümacher Baur Hurlimann, Zurich AND JOSEPH GRIFFITHS 1 BA (Hons) (Dunelm), Solicitor, Kendall Freeman, London 1. A consequential loss is an indirect adverse impact caused by damage to business property or equipment. Consequential or indirect loss in contract law means an unusual sort of loss that arises from a special circumstance of the case, and not in the usual course of things. Consequential damages therefore require certainty as to the amount of loss, foreseeability of loss incurred as a result of breach at the time of contracting, and an inability to mitigate loss by cover or otherwise. If a tornado destroys the roof of a store, not only are there rebuilding costs, but the business cannot operate until the … The Buyer alleged that their indirect or consequential losses falling under the second limb of Hadley v Baxendale should be recoverable. The High Court found in favour of the Seller and dismissed the appeal. …Including Liability to Third Parties. ” Despite being included in the list of consequential and direct losses, the … Schümacher Baur Hurlimann, Zurich AND jOSEPH GRIFFITHSI BA (Hons) (Dune1m), Solicitor, KendallFreeman, London 1. If commercial reality dictates that a contract needs to include a "consequential loss" exclusion clause for the benefit of one party, the other party should carefully … Express words are needed to rebut the presumption that parties will … This case concerns the late delivery of a new crankshaft for a steam engine in nineteenth-century England. In truth, while the terms "indirect loss" and "consequential loss" probably mean the same thing, there is a great deal of uncertainty about what they do mean and no well-understood and easily-applied test. INTRODUCTION As commercial transactions grow ever more international, more and more contracts under Swiss law are being written in English. What is consequential loss? The court held that by looking at the contract as a whole, it was clear that the limitation of liability clause was intended to operate as a complete code under which all liability for losses over and above those … This loss suffered cannot be predicted, and consequently, it is recoverable only if the party knew or should have known of the circumstance of the loss when they made the contract. For many years the simple answer to this question has been considered to be those losses falling within limb 2 of Hadley v Baxendale, however, a recent decision of the Commercial Court has cast doubt upon this.. Historically the words ‘consequential loss’ were held to be synonymous with ‘indirect loss’. The key question was therefore whether … … Indirect, or consequential, loss is that which could have reasonably been contemplated by someone with knowledge of special circumstances outside the usual course of things. Like any other clause in a contract, the Courts have indicated that these terms are to be given their natural and ordinary meaning, interpreted in the … In this case, the TCC took the view that “any general understanding of the meaning of ‘indirect or consequential loss’ must not override the true construction of that clause when read in context against the other provisions in the [agreement]”. In this case, the Court held that for cases of breach of contract, there existed two distinct types of damages. A consequential loss is a type of loss that comes about when circumstances beyond the control of the business owner make it impossible to use company equipment or company property to conduct the normal operations of that business. It is common for construction contracts to limit indemnities to direct loss (and to exclude consequential loss) and for exclusion clauses to seek to limit or exclude … … These are particular losses recoverable only if the other parties know of those circumstances and if it was in the reasonable contemplation of the parties at the time the contract was made as being a probable result … … For example, if your only obligation is to pay for services provided, then a mutual carve-out excluding "consequential or indirect losses" may benefit you if there is a breach and you can show that a loss of profit was, in fact, a direct loss which is recoverable. INDIRECT AND CONSEQUENTIAL LOSS CLAUSES UND ER SWISS LAW THOMAS SIEGENTHALER Dr. iur. Any loss which is more remote than either or the above is considered to be too remote, and a party to a contract will not generally be liable for it. For example, consequential damages are often awarded to reimburse an accident victim’s loss of wages, when he could not work for weeks after being injured in … The judge relied upon a long line of authority, tracing back to Millars Machinery v David Way (1934), to decide that this wording did not exclude liability for damages that are the direct and natural result of a breach. For example, profit can be held by the courts to be a direct loss (British Sugar plc v NEI Power Projects Ltd and Another (1997)) or it may be considered that some component of profit is a direct … Meaning of “consequential” or “indirect” loss . – The contract provided that neither party was liable for: (i) loss of profits or of contracts arising directly or indirectly; (ii) loss of business … Very broadly, contracts often allow direct losses to be recovered (such as the cost of repairs), but may exclude indirect or consequential losses (such as loss of profit). The term “consequential loss” is a classic case of words not bearing their dictionary meanings in a legal context. The High Court decision in GB Gas v Accenture illustrates once again that under English law an exclusion of liability for indirect or consequential loss often has little practical effect.. Loss of profit will not inherently be categorised as an “indirect or consequential loss” such that it may be caught by an exclusion clause for such losses. It is a common misconception that loss of profits and other financial losses would always be indirect or consequential and therefore potentially caught by an exclusion / limitation of liability clause. It arises due to the existence of certain special circumstances. The words in parenthesis were an explanation of the phrase "indirect or consequential" and not an attempt to recategorise direct loss as indirect. ‘indirect’ loss. Indirect/consequential losses. In GEC Alsthom Australia Ltd v City of Sunshine , there was a breach of contract in relation to an agreement for gas supply. – The wording “indirect or consequential loss or loss of profit” will also only exclude indirect losses of profit.Oil & Gas UK - CMS | 11 November 2014. However, it looks like the courts will, in future, be more inclined to interpret ‘consequential and indirect loss’ to mean what any reasonable person would think the words mean – if that is what the context and wording of the contract make clear. Commonly, consequential damages include property damage, personal injury, attorneys’ fee, lost profits, loss of use, liability of buyer to customers, loss of goodwill, interest on money withheld … For example, a contract may state ‘neither party is liable for indirect, consequential and special losses, however arising’. January 15, 2020. What an exclusion clause actually excludes will depend on very much on the facts of the particular case, what country you are in, and, potentially, the judge you get on your day in court. … Consequential loss exclusion clauses are very common in commercial contracts, especially in those relating to construction and energy projects. It is also of note that the courts in different countries interpret the words ‘consequential loss’ differently to the way that … In addition to the compensatory damage, an owner can also seek for consequential damages (sometimes referred to as “indirect” or “special” damages), which include loss of product and loss of profit or revenue. However, the Australian case law has now made it clear that this is not the case. Consequential damage or loss usually refers to pecuniary loss consequent on physical damage, such as loss of profit sustained due to fire damage in a factory 3. Where parties seek to exclude or deal with consequential loss in a contract, it is important to define, so far as possible, precisely what types of flow on losses are intended, or conversely not intended, to be covered by the term "consequential loss". These were damages for loss arising naturally … Indirect and Consequential Loss… The first issue was the meaning of the words "indirect and consequential loss". The phrase ‘indirect or consequential loss or damage’ has been examined by the English courts on numerous occasions. Consequential (or Indirect) loss. These two types of loss are known as the two limbs of Hadley v Baxendale [1854] EWHC J70. However, it is not always this straight forward. As far as direct and indirect loss are concerned, although the default position is that a … Moreover, lost profits were likely to be the biggest issue for Polypearl on a breach, and it made little commercial sense to assume that it was willing to abandon its legal remedies for such loss. except as otherwise provided in section 11(c), no party shall, in any event, regardless of the form of claim, be liable for any indirect, special, incidental, punitive, exemplary, speculative, or consequential damages (including, but not limited to, any loss of use, loss of data, business interruption, and loss of income, profits, or business opportunities), regardless of whether it … Recent Construction matters posts. The basic rule for determining scope and extent of consequential damages, which Defaulting Party would be liable to pay to Non-Defaulting Party, was first elaborated in … Financial losses, including loss of profit, which one would normally expect to flow from the breach, are likely to be classified as direct loss. exclusion of indirect damages. The consequential loss is defined as the loss of indirect nature caused due to direct damage to the equipment or a property or a tangible unit. … Typically, losses of this type are considered indirect, in that they may come about due to the occurrence of other events that resulted in some type of damage … This definition is known as the second limb of … In … In truth, while the terms 'indirect loss' and 'consequential loss' probably mean the same thing, there is a great deal of uncertainty about what they do mean and no well-understood and easily-applied test. 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