Knowledge (XXG)

Carter v Boehm

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31: 713:. However, Lord Mansfield was seeking to propound a doctrine of good faith which would extend through the law of contract, and in that respect his view did not bear fruit. Where, however, in the insurance context it put down firm roots, it came to be seen as a doctrine which went much further than the antithesis of fraud, and, as it came to be developed, “non-disclosure will in a substantial proportion of cases be the result of an innocent mistake." 119:. Carter took out an insurance policy with Boehm against the fort being taken by a foreign enemy. A witness, Captain Tryon, testified that Carter was aware that the fort was built to resist attacks from natives but would be unable to repel European enemies, and he knew the French were likely to attack. The French successfully attacked, but Boehm refused to honour the indemnifier Carter, who promptly sued. 140:
his knowledge, to mislead the underwriter into a belief that the circumstance does not exist, and to induce him to estimate the risk as if it did not exist. Good faith forbids either party by concealing what he privately knows, to draw the other into a bargain from his ignorance of that fact, and his believing the contrary.
152:
either party may be innocently silent, as to grounds open to both, to exercise their judgment upon.... An under-writer can not insist that the policy is void, because the insured did not tell him what he actually knew.... The insured need not mention what the under-writer ought to know; what he takes
193:
was an application of his general principle to the making of a contract of insurance. It was based upon the inequality of information as between the proposer and the underwriter and the character of insurance as a contract upon a "speculation". He equated non-disclosure to fraud. He said at p 1909:
139:
Insurance is a contract based upon speculation. The special facts, upon which the contingent chance is to be computed, lie most commonly in the knowledge of the insured only; the underwriter trusts to his representation and proceeds upon the confidence that he does not keep back any circumstance in
708:
Rix LJ stated, "I am conscious that in Carter v. Boehm itself Lord Mansfield does seem to have considered that there was a difference between the concealment which the duty of good faith prohibited and mere silence (‘Aliud est celare; aliud tacere…). As a result, non-disclosure in the insurance
161:
There was not a word said to him, of the affairs of India, or the state of the war there, or the condition of Fort Marlborough. If he thought that omission an objection at the time, he ought not to have signed the policy with a secret reserve in his own mind to make it
144:
Lord Mansfield went on to hold that the duty was reciprocal and that if an insurer withheld material facts, the example cited being that an insured vessel had already arrived safely, the policyholder could declare the policy void and recover the premium.
212:"But as, by the law of merchants, all dealings must be fair and honest, fraud infects and vitiates every mercantile contract. Therefore, if there is fraud in a representation, it will avoid the policy, as a fraud, but not as a part of the agreement." 153:
upon himself the knowledge of; or what he waives being informed of. The under-writer needs not be told what lessens the risque agreed and understood to be run by the express terms of the policy. He needs not to be told general topics of speculation.
188:
was at the time attempting to introduce into English commercial law a general principle of good faith, an attempt which was ultimately unsuccessful and only survived for limited classes of transactions, one of which was insurance. His judgment in
198:"The keeping back such circumstances is a fraud, and therefore the policy is void. Although the suppression should happen through mistake, without any fraudulent intention; yet still the underwriter is deceived, and the policy is void." 704: 157:
Lord Mansfield found in favour of the policyholder on the grounds that the insurer knew or ought to have known that the risk existed as the political situation was public knowledge:
610: 310: 811: 243: 655: 624: 487: 202:
It thus was not actual fraud as known to the common law but a form of mistake of which the other party was not allowed to take advantage. Twelve years later in
177: 326: 594: 530: 726: 768: 430: 236: 173: 796: 272: 786: 480: 456: 229: 442: 568: 542: 361: 709:
context in the early years was referred to as a ‘concealment’, and the doctrine has sometimes been viewed and explained as
791: 349: 806: 684: 473: 389: 433: 417: 403: 339: 116: 801: 556: 208:(1778) 2 Cowp 786 at 788, he emphasised that the avoidance of the contract was as the result of a rule of law: 446: 716: 675: 204: 82: 710: 30: 128: 696: 104: 35: 670: 580: 504: 284: 132: 91: 614: 508: 660: 393: 185: 86: 68: 379: 365: 780: 645: 375: 630: 600: 584: 546: 518: 421: 407: 296: 750: 316: 300: 766:
Stephen Watterson, ‘Carter v Boehm (1766)’, ch 3 in C Mitchell and P Mitchell,
721: 135:) to the insurer, he was required to disclose all facts material to the risk: 221: 39: 108: 112: 465: 127:
Lord Mansfield held that Mr Carter, as the proposer owed a duty of
469: 225: 705:
HIH Casualty and General Insurance Ltd v Chase Manhattan Bank
148:
Lord Mansfield proceeded to qualify the duty of disclosure:
174:
Manifest Shipping Co Ltd v Uni-Polaris Shipping Co Ltd
312:
Hedley Byrne & Co Ltd v Heller & Partners Ltd
62: 54: 46: 23: 626:Attorney General of Belize v Belize Telecom Ltd 182: 159: 150: 137: 481: 237: 89:established the duty of utmost good faith or 8: 178:John Hobhouse, Baron Hobhouse of Woodborough 328:Car and Universal Finance Co Ltd v Caldwell 488: 474: 466: 244: 230: 222: 29: 20: 611:Baird Textile Holdings Ltd v M&S plc 596:Equitable Life Assurance Society v Hyman 743: 531:Southern Foundries (1926) Ltd v Shirlaw 727:List of cases involving Lord Mansfield 812:Court of King's Bench (England) cases 769:Landmark Cases in the Law of Contract 431:Unfair Commercial Practices Directive 58:(1766) 3 Burr 1905, (1766) 97 ER 1162 7: 273:Erlanger v New Sombrero Phosphate Co 656:Yam Seng v International Trade Corp 14: 81:(1766) 3 Burr 1905 is a landmark 661:[2013] EWHC 111 (QB) 457:Misrepresentation in English law 443:Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 569:Scally v Southern Health Board 362:Esso Petroleum Co Ltd v Mardon 1: 350:Lambert v Co-op Insurance Ltd 685:Implied terms in English law 390:Royscot Trust Ltd v Rogerson 184:As Lord Mustill points out, 797:English good faith case law 615:[2001] EWCA Civ 274 418:Shogun Finance Ltd v Hudson 103:Carter was the Governor of 828: 404:Saamco v York Montague Ltd 340:Misrepresentation Act 1967 117:British East India Company 787:English contract case law 682: 667: 652: 637: 621: 607: 591: 577: 565: 557:Johnstone v Bloomsbury HA 553: 539: 527: 515: 501: 454: 440: 428: 414: 400: 386: 372: 358: 346: 337: 323: 307: 293: 281: 269: 257: 252:Misrepresentation sources 67: 28: 772:(Hart Publishing, 2008). 95:in insurance contracts. 631:[2009] UKPC 10 601:[2000] UKHL 39 585:[1997] UKHL 23 215: 214: 200: 164: 155: 142: 547:[1976] UKHL 1 276:(1878) 3 App Cas 1218 210: 196: 792:Lord Mansfield cases 717:English contract law 543:Liverpool CC v Irwin 83:English contract law 16:English contract law 807:1766 in British law 496:Implied terms cases 711:constructive fraud 264:(1766) 3 Burr 1905 700:(1778) 2 Cowp 729 691: 690: 463: 462: 353:2 Lloyd's Rep 485 129:utmost good faith 74: 73: 819: 802:1766 in case law 753: 748: 697:Da Costa v Jones 627: 597: 490: 483: 476: 467: 329: 313: 288:(1881) 20 Ch D 1 246: 239: 232: 223: 115:), built by the 105:Fort Marlborough 36:Fort Marlborough 33: 21: 827: 826: 822: 821: 820: 818: 817: 816: 777: 776: 775: 762: 757: 756: 749: 745: 740: 735: 692: 687: 678: 671:Bhasin v Hrynew 663: 648: 633: 625: 617: 603: 595: 587: 581:Malik v BCCI SA 573: 561: 549: 535: 523: 522:(1889) 14 PD 64 511: 505:Hutton v Warren 497: 494: 464: 459: 450: 436: 424: 410: 396: 382: 368: 354: 342: 333: 327: 319: 311: 303: 289: 285:Redgrave v Hurd 277: 265: 253: 250: 220: 205:Pawson v Watson 169: 133:uberrimae fidei 125: 101: 92:uberrimae fidei 85:case, in which 42: 17: 12: 11: 5: 825: 823: 815: 814: 809: 804: 799: 794: 789: 779: 778: 774: 773: 763: 761: 758: 755: 754: 742: 741: 739: 736: 734: 731: 730: 729: 724: 719: 714: 701: 689: 688: 683: 680: 679: 668: 665: 664: 653: 650: 649: 641:Carter v Boehm 638: 635: 634: 622: 619: 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612: 606: 602: 599: 598: 590: 586: 583: 582: 576: 571: 570: 564: 559: 558: 552: 548: 545: 544: 538: 533: 532: 526: 521: 520: 514: 510: 509:EWHC Exch J61 507: 506: 500: 491: 486: 484: 479: 477: 472: 471: 468: 458: 453: 448: 444: 439: 435: 432: 427: 423: 420: 419: 413: 409: 406: 405: 399: 395: 392: 391: 385: 381: 378: 377: 376:East v Maurer 371: 367: 364: 363: 357: 352: 351: 345: 341: 336: 331: 330: 322: 318: 315: 314: 306: 302: 299: 298: 292: 287: 286: 280: 275: 274: 268: 263: 262: 256: 247: 242: 240: 235: 233: 228: 227: 224: 217: 213: 209: 207: 206: 199: 195: 192: 187: 181: 179: 176: 175: 166: 163: 158: 154: 149: 146: 141: 136: 134: 130: 122: 120: 118: 114: 110: 106: 98: 96: 94: 93: 88: 84: 80: 79: 70: 66: 63:Case opinions 61: 57: 53: 49: 45: 41: 37: 32: 27: 22: 19: 767: 746: 703: 695: 669: 654: 640: 639: 623: 609: 593: 579: 567: 560:2 All ER 293 555: 541: 529: 519:The Moorcock 517: 503: 447:SI 2008/1277 416: 402: 388: 374: 360: 348: 325: 309: 297:Derry v Peek 295: 283: 271: 260: 259: 211: 203: 201: 197: 190: 183: 172: 170: 167:Significance 160: 156: 151: 147: 143: 138: 126: 102: 90: 77: 76: 75: 50:King's Bench 18: 676:2014 SCC 71 394:EWCA Civ 12 781:Categories 733:References 722:Good faith 646:97 ER 1162 434:2005/29/EC 380:EWCA Civ 6 366:EWCA Civ 4 738:Citations 40:Indonesia 572:1 AC 294 332:1 QB 525 218:See also 123:Judgment 109:Bengkulu 55:Citation 760:Sources 674:, 644:(1766) 422:UKHL 62 408:UKHL 10 113:Sumatra 751:UKHL 1 534:AC 701 317:UKHL 4 301:UKHL 1 180:said, 659: 162:void. 107:(now 99:Facts 47:Court 171:In 783:: 111:, 38:, 489:e 482:t 475:v 449:) 445:( 245:e 238:t 231:v 131:(

Index


Fort Marlborough
Indonesia
Lord Mansfield
English contract law
Lord Mansfield
uberrimae fidei
Fort Marlborough
Bengkulu
Sumatra
British East India Company
utmost good faith
uberrimae fidei
Manifest Shipping Co Ltd v Uni-Polaris Shipping Co Ltd
John Hobhouse, Baron Hobhouse of Woodborough
Lord Mansfield
Pawson v Watson
v
t
e
Carter v Boehm
Erlanger v New Sombrero Phosphate Co
Redgrave v Hurd
Derry v Peek
UKHL 1
Hedley Byrne & Co Ltd v Heller & Partners Ltd
UKHL 4
Car and Universal Finance Co Ltd v Caldwell
Misrepresentation Act 1967
Lambert v Co-op Insurance Ltd

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