QBE Business Interruption Insurance Class Action

This is a class action against one or more members of the QBE Insurance Group (QBE) in connection with business interruption insurance (BII) policies.

The class action seeks to recover money for persons who held business interruption insurance with QBE and suffered financial losses because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gordon Legal and Berrill & Watson Lawyers, with support from one of the world’s leading litigation funder, Omni Bridgeway, have been instructed to commence an open class action against QBE on behalf of all persons who:
  • held business interruption insurance with QBE and were insured at any time during the period 19 January 2020 to 1 July 2021; and
  • had certain policy terms in their business interruption insurance policies; and
  • who suffered interruption or interference to their business as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The class action is being funded as a registered management investment scheme named The QBE BII Claim Litigation Funding Scheme (ARSN 650 744 415) (the Scheme) in accordance with new funded class action regulations introduced by the Australian government in 2020. 
 

How can affected group members participate in the class action?

If you are an eligible affected group member, you can apply to become a member of the Scheme and participate in the class action by completing and returning the Application Form which is set out in the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for the Scheme dated 28 June 2021 and issued by Omni Bridgeway Investment Management Limited (ACN 642 086 593, AFSL No. 524023).  

A copy of the PDS can be accessed here and should be read in its entirety prior to submitting an application.  Any offer to retail claimants to participate in the Scheme shall only be done by way of the PDS.  You should consider with or without the assistance of your professional advisers whether or not to participate in the litigation to which the PDS relates.

You may wish to register an expression of interest in respect of the Scheme to keep updated. However, please note, if you express an interest in participating in funded litigation, you consent to the Scheme’s Responsible Entity, Omni Bridgeway Investment Management Limited or Omni Bridgeway Limited (Authorised Representative of Omni Bridgeway Investment Management Limited) (ABN 45 067 298 088, Authorised Representative No 1283703) contacting you and providing further information in relation to litigation funding.  Please also note, that registering an expression of interest with Omni Bridgeway does not represent an offer to participate in a litigation funding scheme and is not a commitment by any person to fund a class action or potential class action in respect of the matters set out on this website.  

If your application to become a member of the Scheme is accepted, you will receive updates from Omni Bridgeway via the nominated contact details in your completed Application Form.  You will also be able to access the updates sent to you about the progress of the class action using the unique log on details issued to you at the time you applied to become a member of the Scheme.  
If you have any queries or if you would like to request a copy of the Constitution, you can contact the Omni Bridgeway Client Liaison Team by email [email protected] or free call 1800 016 464.

Sign Up FAQs 

A class action is a special type of court case.  A class action is an action that is brought by one person (known as the ‘applicant’) on his or her own behalf and on behalf of a class of people (known as ‘group members’) against another person (known as the ‘respondent’) where the applicant and the group members have similar claims against the respondent.

In a class action, the applicant’s claims are used to resolve as many factual and legal issues common to the group members as possible. While the group members are represented by the applicant, it is not necessary that every group member have exactly the same type of claim. 

Class actions are capable of giving effect to the rights of large groups of people without the burden or cost of commencing an individual case for each affected person. The class action process saves time and expense and allows the courts to decide issues common to all affected persons in a single case. 

Many businesses throughout Australia hold BII policies with QBE that cover losses caused by business interruptions, including those arising from human infectious or contagious disease. The action is against one or more members of the QBE Insurance Group. The class action will be conducted in the name of the representative applicant on behalf of group members. The class action:

  • broadly alleges that the refusal by QBE to pay out indemnities to insured persons under relevant BII policies for business interruption losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a breach of contract; and
  • claims damages on behalf of insured persons for loss, damages and/or costs caused by the conduct of QBE in connection with claims which have been (or are to be) in respect of BII.

You may be eligible to participate and may be a group member in this class action if you are a business that:

  • held business interruption insurance with QBE and were insured at any time during the period 19 January 2020 to 1 July 2021; and
  • had certain policy terms in your business interruption insurance policy; and
  • who suffered interruption or interference to your business as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

If your insurance product is not noted on the policy as being underwritten by QBE you are invited to provide details about your specific policy.

You can check your insurance documents to work out if you are a group member in the class action.  

The Product Disclosure Statement for your policy and/or your policy schedule will state the name of the insurer.  It may refer to the insurer as ‘the underwriter’ of the policy. If you see that this is a QBE entity, you may be covered by the class action.   

We have also prepared a guide available here which provides details of the ‘class of claimants’ in the class action now that the proceedings have been filed (as noted in section 3 of the PDS), and which may help you determine if your policy is the same or substantially similar to at least one Applicant’s policy.

If you are uncertain about this, please feel free to contact us. 

You will not become liable for any legal costs simply by remaining a group member. You will never be required to pay any upfront or out-of-pocket costs in respect of the class action.

The costs of running the class action will be partly met by Omni Bridgeway with the remainder met by Gordon Legal and Berrill & Watson. In return, Omni Bridgeway will be entitled to a share of any amount awarded or settled in relation to the class action - see the Fees and Other Costs section of the PDS.

The amounts payable to Omni Bridgeway and the lawyers cannot exceed the amount recovered as part of the class action.

There are no ‘out of pocket’ costs for group members to pay. Further, group members do not have to pay anything in the event that the class action is unsuccessful, as Omni Bridgeway agrees to pay any legal costs that might be awarded to the Respondent. 

No. The Applicant in a class action does not need to seek the consent of class members to commence a class action on their behalf or to identify a specific class member. The claim has been (or is planned to be) filed on an ‘open class’ basis.  This means that all persons who meet the definition of group member in the filed proceedings are included.  However, class members can cease to be class members by opting out of the class action. For more information about opting out of the proceedings see sections 17 and 19 of the PDS for information about the opt out process. 

You are also automatically included in the Scheme as a “passive member” if you meet the definition of group member in the class action but do not take steps to apply to become a known member of the Scheme.  Any passive members who do not wish to opt out of the Scheme are encouraged to submit an Application Form for the reasons set out in section 7 below.

You are strongly encouraged to apply to be a member of the Scheme and to participate in the class action by completing and returning the Application Form which is set out in the PDS for this class action.  

A copy of the PDS can be accessed here and should be read in its entirety prior to submitting an application.  

There are a number of reasons in favour of applying to become a member of the Scheme:  

  • there is no cost to become a member;
  • it will allow Gordon Legal and Berrill & Watson to confirm that you are a group member and provide you with regular updates about the progress of the class action. It will also enable them to contact you if you become eligible to receive compensation;
  • in class actions, the lawyers are greatly assisted by having information about the value of group members’ claims. The more information they have, the better informed they can be about the reasonableness of any settlement offer that might be made by the respondent in the proceeding;
  • if a settlement is reached;
    • the Court will likely be assisted by having information about the value of group members’ claims in deciding whether to approve the settlement, and in determining how any settlement monies are to be distributed;
    • the Court will likely impose a deadline by which group members must register their claim in order to participate in any settlement and receive any distribution from the settlement sum. While the Court will prescribe a method by which to notify group members, it can’t be guaranteed that you will receive this notice, or you may receive it after the registration deadline. By applying to become a member of the Scheme now, the likelihood that you will receive any court notices is greatly improved as your contact details will be recorded by us and you will have the opportunity to update them if any of your contact details change at any stage.
If you have any queries, you can contact the Omni Bridgeway Client Liaison Team by email on [email protected] or free call 1800 016 464.

If you would like to participate in or continue as a funded member of the Class Action, you can either:

  • complete the online registration process by clicking the ‘Sign Up’ button located at the bottom/top right corner of the page; or
  • you can complete and return the Application Form attached to the PDS by post or email. You will also need to provide a signed Retainer Agreement which you can access through our online application process or by contacting us. The email and postal address for returning the Application Form and Retainer Agreement are noted on the Application Form.

You are encouraged to return your completed Application Form and signed Retainer Agreement as soon as possible.

If your application is accepted, you will receive updates from Omni Bridgeway via the nominated contact details in your completed Application Form. You will also be able to access the updates sent to you about the progress of the class action using the unique log on details issued to you at the time you applied to become a member of the Scheme.

The class action is being run by Gordon Legal and Berrill & Watson.  

Gordon Legal has an experienced team of lawyers in class action litigation, having collectively conducted some of the most complex and challenging group and class actions in Australian Legal history. The firm’s founder and Senior Partner, Peter Gordon is widely respected as one of Australia’s most accomplished compensation and class actions lawyers. 

Berrill & Watson has decades of experience acting in insurance disputes and securing pay-outs for claimants from Australia’s biggest insurance companies. 

Gordon Legal will be the solicitors on the record for the class action and require Scheme applicants to sign and return their retainer agreement (Retainer Agreement). The Retainer Agreement can be obtained through our online application process or by contacting us.    The Retainer Agreement can also be submitted as part of Omni Bridgeway’s online sign-up process.

The Lawyers will be providing their services on a part conditional fee basis, with a percentage of their fees ‘at-risk’, meaning they will only receive these ‘at-risk’ fees in the event the litigation is successful (they will also be entitled to an uplift on their at-risk fees in such circumstances). Further information relating to the lawyers’ role in the Scheme is set out in Section 7 of the PDS, and further details in respect of the Lawyers’ entitlements under the Scheme can be found in section 38 of the PDS.  
The class action is being funded by Australia’s largest litigation funder, Omni Bridgeway, as a registered management investment scheme (the Scheme) in accordance with new regulations affecting funded class actions which were introduced by the Australian government in 2020.
 
A registered managed investment scheme has been established for these purposes by Omni Bridgeway Investment Management Limited (ACN 642 086 593, AFS Licence No. 524023) (OBIML) (Scheme).  The company providing part of the litigation funding under the Scheme is Omni Bridgeway (Fund 5) Australia Invt. Pty Ltd (ACN 635 083 984, Authorised Representative No. 1283704) (Funder), which is an authorised representative of OBIML.  The balance of the funding will be provided by Gordon Legal and Berrill & Watson on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis. The Funder will use the litigation management services of Omni Bridgeway Limited (ACN 067 298 088, Authorised Representative NO. 1283703), which is also an authorised representative of OBIML.  The proposed funding arrangements are set out in the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) which can be viewed here and in the Scheme’s constitution. 

The Funder will also cover the risk of the Class Action being unsuccessful. Typically in litigation, ‘costs follow the event’, meaning that the successful party is entitled to claim the majority of their legal costs from the unsuccessful party. Instead of the representative applicants being liable for any such costs if the Class Action is unsuccessful, the Funder will cover this under the terms of the Scheme.  If you are a group member only and not the representative applicant (the person in whose name the proceeding will be brought), the Court has no power to make a costs order (in respect of the class action) directly against you in any event. 

Further information about the funding arrangements is contained in the PDS (see in particular the Fees and Other Costs section of the PDS).
As a potential return on its investment, the Funder will be entitled to a share of any sum received in a successful result, such as an award by a Court or an amount paid by way of settlement of the Class Action. Further information about the Funder’s entitlements is contained in the PDS (see in particular the Fees and Other Costs section of the PDS).

Assuming that QBE is found liable to indemnify you under your policy, the policy itself sets out what losses can be claimed and how your losses are to be assessed, and the Court may make rulings about how sections of the policy relating to the calculation of your losses are to be interpreted.  Assistance will be provided to group members to assist them to quantify their losses at the appropriate stage of the litigation. 

Group Members do not have to be actively involved in the class action. The proceeding will be advanced by reference to the claims of the representative applicant. 

However, we strongly recommend that group members complete the Application Form in the PDS for this Class Action to be a part of the funding Scheme. If you join the funding scheme Omni Bridgeway will review your insurance documents to see if you may be a group member and provide assistance in connection with the proceeding. You can apply by following this link.


If you meet the definition of a group member you are automatically included in the class action. 

If you don’t want to be included in the class action, you can withdraw by “opting out”. The Court will order a date by which group members must opt out. There is further information about opting out at section 19 of the PDS. 

You also have a cooling off period of 21 days after applying to become a member of the Scheme.  Further information about the cooling-off period can be found in section 17 of the PDS. 

Gordon Legal and Berrill & Watson conducted a review of different policies on the insurance market, including various QBE policies. This review revealed there are a number of different QBE policies, which contain different wording.  This class action is in respect of four particular QBE policies.  

If you have a different QBE policy and you are not sure if you might be covered, you should contact Gordon Legal on 03 9603 3000 and they can review your policy for you, or alternatively, you can provide details about your specific policy by completing a short online form here. 
Because there are differences in the types of BII offered by the various insurers, not all insurers are exposed to potential claims in the same way. 

If you are insured for business interruption with an insurer other than QBE, Gordon Legal can review your documents and may still be able to assist you. You can provide details about your specific policy by completing a short online form here.

It is your choice what arrangements you make in relation to your insurance. You do not need to continue to hold your QBE insurance to be a group member. 

You only need to have held QBE BII insurance at any point during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A class action can be successfully resolved in one of two ways:

  • Through a settlement agreement between the representative applicants and the respondent; or
  • If the class action does not settle, by the Court awarding judgment in favour of the representative applicants.

Most class actions are settled and do not proceed to trial, however, there is no guarantee that the case might resolve by agreement between the parties. If a settlement is reached, the Court must approve the settlement as being fair, reasonable and in the interests of group members before it can proceed.

A copy of the PDS can be accessed here.
Omni Bridgeway Limited is responsible for the contents of this website.

Target Market Determination


This target market determination is required under section 994B of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Corporations Act) and relates to the PDS dated 28 June 2021.

The QBE BII Litigation Funding Scheme (Scheme) is designed for participation by the Funder, the Lawyers and any claimant with a valid claim in the Class Action.  Interests in the Scheme can only be distributed to the Funder, the Lawyers and a claimant with an asserted claim in the Class Action.

The details of any dealings outside the target market that a distributor is aware of or any complaint (as defined in section 994A(1) of the Corporations Act) relating to the product design, product availability and distribution of the Scheme received by a distributor must be reported to OBIML within 10 business days following the end of a calendar quarter.

The details of any significant dealings outside the target market that a distributor is aware of must be reported to OBIML as soon as practicable but no later than 10 business days of becoming aware of the significant dealing.

This target market determination is reviewed every 2 years and must be reviewed within 10 business days following a determination by OBIML that significant dealing outside the target market determination has occurred.