Case Review: Saunders v Irish Life plc

In this article, Tara Cosgrove, Seán O’Halloran and Conor Williams review the judgment of the Irish High Court in Saunders v Irish Life, which was delivered on 24 June.

The plaintiff had jointly taken out a life assurance policy with her partner two years before the death of her partner. However, the defendant insurer declined to pay out on the plaintiff’s claim in circumstances where it was alleged that the deceased had misrepresented his medical history (particularly concerning his use of illegal drugs) by failing to disclose these facts in an online pre-contract questionnaire. Finding in favour of the defendant insurer, the court held that the deceased was under an obligation to correct the replies given in the questionnaire in advance of entering into the contract.