The first instance circuit of the Qatar International Court (Justices Robertson, Hamilton and Arestis) has delivered its judgement in a case claiming brought by a policy holder claiming a compensation of over QR617,000 against an insurance company operating within the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC).
The Claimant had sought recovery of what he alleged to be emergency medical costs in the sum of QR617,400.95 incurred whilst on a family trip to the US. The Defendant declined to pay the aforementioned sum on the basis that the insurance policy in question- although worldwide in scope- only covered treatment in the US that fell within the policy definition of “emergency”. The circumstances of this case were not, the Defendant contented, such as to constitute an emergency and thus there was no liability on behalf of the Defendant to pay out. During the course of the trial the Court considered, amongst other things, various pieces of medical evidence including oral testimony from an eminent medical expert from the UK.
The Court, which expressed considerable sympathy with the position the Claimant and his family found themselves in, nevertheless concluded that whilst the treatment received was undoubtedly required, it did not fall within the policy definition of emergency and so the costs of the treatment were not recoverable from the Defendant. The Court ordered the Claimant to pay the Defendant’s reasonable costs in the case which, if not agreed, are to be assessed by the Registrar.
