In Berryman v Zurich Australia Ltd [2016] WASC 196 it was decided that a bankrupt's entitlement to claim a TPD benefit under a life insurance policy is not an entitlement that is divisible amongst the bankrupt's creditors, and therefore such an entitlement does not vest in the Official Trustee in bankruptcy. Tottle J of the Supreme Court of Western Australia ruled that the bankrupt insured could continue an action in his own name to recover the TPD benefit. Life insurers may need to adjust their claims' payment practices in light of the Berryman decision.

A recent decision by the Court of Appeal (CA) in West v Ian Finlay & Associates (a firm) will, in the words of one colleague, “add spice to negotiations”. 

The CA held that a net contribution clause in a professional appointment was effective in limiting liability. The CA held that the clause was both “crystal clear”, noting that the facts of the case did not permit an alternative interpretation, and fair, that is within the meaning of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 and Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977.