Maritime Insurance Expert Witnesses

Maritime insurance professionals are frequently called upon to serve as expert witnesses in legal proceedings. A maritime insurance professional's knowledge of the marine industry, risk analysis, and claims handling makes them invaluable sources of information when an issue of marine risk comes into dispute. For attorneys needing a source for establishing facts surrounding evidence of coverage or the standard levels of care in the industry used by underwriters and adjusters alike, they can provide insight that can be obtained from no one else. In cases involving ships damaged from collision or that sustain some form of repair-related accident due to poorly done maintenance work, maritime insurance professionals often provide testimony concerning the appropriate norms for both ship owners and operators and their insurers at the different stages involved in many such incidents. Their expertise enables them to explain what is reasonable under specific circumstances—the difference between providing prudent services versus negligence—in order to prove liability or disprove incorrect evidence presented by another party. When large disputes arise regarding coverage issues within maritime law cases, a qualified marine insurer can interpret policy wording while showing how certain circumstances should have been handled differently than what actually occurred according to best practices in shipping management protocols laid out by insurers themselves. In addition, these experts not only testify as witnesses but may also be requested as part of an arbitration team assigned to settle disagreements inside courtrooms or challenge outcomes later on appeal if needed.