Ikarian Reefer Principles
Definition
A set of guidelines from the English civil case National Justice Compania Naviera v. Prudential Assurance (1993), widely cited in English courts, requiring that experts state their factual basis, distinguish fact from opinion, acknowledge the limits of their expertise, and be uninfluenced by the exigencies of litigation.
- Source case
- National Justice Compania Naviera v. Prudential Assurance (1993)
- Jurisdiction
- English civil courts
- Core requirements
- State factual basis, separate fact from opinion, disclose limits, remain independent of litigation pressure
- Application
- Widely cited for expert witness conduct, including geologists
Common questions
Why are the Ikarian Reefer principles cited outside shipping law, such as in geology or forensic cases?+
The case established general duties owed by any expert witness to the court, independent of the subject matter of the case that produced it. English and Commonwealth courts have since applied the same reasoning to experts in unrelated fields whenever independence and methodology are challenged.
What happens if an expert's report is found to breach the Ikarian Reefer principles?+
A court can give the report reduced weight, exclude parts of it, or in serious cases exclude the expert's evidence entirely, since the principles go to the expert's duty of independence rather than to a mere technical formality.
Related terms
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- Frye Standard
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