MLA Marine Insurance & General Average Committee: Spring 2023 Tentative Agenda

Dear Committee Members,

By now you have likely heard of the two big maritime insurance law developments.  First, of course, is that the Spring 2023 meeting of the Marine Insurance & General Average Committee will be held on Wednesday, May 3rd at 2:00 p.m., at the offices of Clyde & Company, located in the Chrysler Building, at 405 Lexington Avenue, Classroom 1, New York, New York 10174.  The date, time, and location are tentative, so please continue to check the MLA’s website for updates.

The second big development is that the Supreme Court has granted certiorari in the marine insurance case of Great Lakes Insurance SE v. Raiders Retreat Realty Co.  The issue presented:  “Under federal admiralty law, can a choice of law clause in a maritime contract be rendered unenforceable if enforcement is contrary to the ‘strong public policy’ of the state whose law is displaced?”  We look forward to discussing this issue with the Committee during our meeting.

Our keynote speaker for the meeting is Captain John Lowe, the President of the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors.  He will explain how accredited marine surveyors contribute to nearly every phase of marine insurance from underwriting to claims handling in the context of modern yacht marine insurance policies.

CLE is available for this meeting.  The tentative agenda is available on the Committee’s page of the MLA’s website.

Regards,
William Fennell, Chair