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Arbitration / Court Decisions

COURT AWARDS DAMAGES AND PREJUDGMENT INTEREST IN LONG-RUNNING RETROCESSION DISPUTE

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Republic Insurance was a fronting company for a syndicate of reinsurers which obtained retrocessional coverage from Group Des Assurance Nationales under LMX quota share contracts over a number of years. As we reported in an August 20, 2013 post, the Court granted summary judgment in Republic’s favor. Thereafter, the parties disputed the damages, offset, and method of prejudgment interest calculation. The Court has now ruled on those issues, awarding Republic the full amount of damages claimed, declining to award Group Des Assurance Nationales an offset against premiums paid, and awarding prejudgment interest dating back to the contract years at issue, which roughly doubled the award. Republic Insurance Co. v. Banco De Seguros Del Estado, No. 10-C-5039 (USDC N.D. Ill. March 20, 2014).

This post written by John Pitblado.

See our disclaimer.

ARBITRATION ROUND-UP

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Arbitration Procedure

Trustees of the New York City District Council of Carpenters Pension Fund, Welfare Fund, Annuity Fund v. Alliance Workroom Corp., No. 13-Civ-5096 (USDC S.D.N.Y. Dec. 11, 2013) (arbitration award confirmed, treating unopposed petition to confirm as summary judgment motion based on unopposed record, granting attorneys fees incurred in unopposed action to confirm arbitration award).

Thai-Lao Lignite (Thailand) Co., Ltd. v. Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, No. 10-CV-5256 (USDC S.D.N.Y. Feb. 6, 2014) (vacating award based on ruling in parallel action in Malaysian Court of Appeal, based on New York Convention for the Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards).

McAlpine v. Priddle, No. S-14891 (Alaska Feb. 21, 2014) (affirming confirmation of award in criminal defense attorney fee agreement, agreement not procured by fraud, not barred by public policy)

Lakeshore Engineering Services, Inc. v. Target Construction, Inc., No. 13-14498 (USDC E.D. Mich. Feb. 27, 2014) (no waiver, contract and arbitration agreement binding and enforceable)

Exceeding Powers

Renard v. Ameriprise Fin. Svcs., Inc., No. 13-CV-555 (USDC E.D. Wis. Mar. 6, 2014) (arbitrators did not exceed powers, award not procured by fraud, no failure to hear pertinent evidence)

Manifest Disregard

Schafer v. Multiband Corp., No. 13-1316 (6th Cir. Jan. 6, 2014) (reversing district court’s order granting vacatur of award, where award was contrary to precedent, but nevertheless “reasoned” and therefore not in manifest disregard of the law).

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority v. Citigroup, Inc., No. 13-1068-cv (2d Cir. Feb. 19, 2014) (no manifest disregard in application of New York law in choice-of-law dispute)

Evident Partiality

Ometto v. ASA Bioenergy Holding A.G., Nos. 12-4022, 13-225 (2d Cir. Jan 7, 2014) (affirming denial of petition to vacate award, no evident partiality based on claim of arbitrator’s failure to disclose information; no manifest disregard of law)

Scope of Arbitration Agreement

Aetrex Worldwide, Inc. v. Sourcing For You Limited, No. 13-3933 (3d Cir. Jan. 23, 2014) (denying motion to compel arbitration where arbitration agreement contained exception for injunction actions, which applied even after injunction request denied and withdrawn)

Neuronetics, Inc. v. Fuzzi, No. 13-1506 (3d Cir. Jan. 24, 2014) (affirming grant of motion to confirm, issue regarding non-payment of contract for sale of healthcare products within scope of arbitration agreement).

Unconscionability

Kirby v. Lion Enterprises, Inc., No. 12-C-47 (W. Va. Mar. 7, 2014) (reversing decision affirming confirmation of award and remanding with instructions to develop record on issue of unconscionability)

This post written by John Pitblado.

See our disclaimer.

SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN FAVOR OF BROKER IN MALPRACTICE CASE REVERSED, WHERE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH INSURED MAY HAVE EXISTED

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In a case involving alleged broker malpractice with respect to certain underinsured business interruption losses under a commercial property insurance policy, the New York high court reversed a lower appellate court’s affirmance of summary judgment in favor of the insurance broker. The court found that the evidence suggested that “there was some interaction regarding a question of business interruption coverage, with the insured relying on the expertise of the agent,” where the insured testified that (1) she and the broker discussed the coverage, (2) the broker requested sales figures and other data, (3) the broker assured the insured that the coverage was adequate, and (4) the broker repeatedly pledged to review coverage annually and recommend adjustments as the insured’s businesses grew. The court also reversed the intermediate court’s majority view that the insured’s knowledge of the coverage limits warranted dismissal. The court explained that, where a special relationship existed, “it is wholly irrelevant whether [the insured was] aware of the limits that were actually procured.” Voss v. Netherlands Insurance Co., Case No. 11 (N.Y. Ct. App. Feb. 25, 2014).

This post written by Michael Wolgin.

See our disclaimer.

COURT DISMISSES CLAIM AGAINST AIG FOR BREACH OF REINSURNACE CONTRACTS

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Reinsurer Transatlantic Reinsurance Company sued AIG and certain of its subsidiaries for a declaration that they breached various provisions of reinsurance certificates by transferring their risk under asbestos liability policies to another insurer. The court dismissed the claim against AIG, holding that it was undisputed that AIG itself was not a signatory to the reinsurance certificates at issue, and that the complaint failed to allege that AIG, as an “alter ego,” dominated and controlled the actions of the signatory AIG subsidiaries. The court was not persuaded into finding AIG liable by the contention that AIG was the party responsible for making the decision to transfer the insurance risk. The court explained that “TransRe’s allegations that AIG’s ‘de-risking’ strategy interfered with the Insureds’ abilities to meet their obligations under their contracts with TransRe do not permit this court to find that AIG has made a sham of the corporate formalities of the Insurers, as required to establish alter-ego liability.” Transatlantic Reinsurance Co. v. American International Group, Inc., et al., Case No. 152812/2013 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. Feb. 7, 2014).

This post written by Michael Wolgin.

See our disclaimer.