The Seventh Circuit, in a case involving an appeal from an arbitration award in an NASD securities case, stated that “[i]t is tempting to think that courts are engaged in judicial review of arbitration awards under the Federal Arbitration Act, but they are not” due to the narrow grounds for vacating such an award. The Court affirmed the confirmation of an award entered by a panel based upon a motion for summary judgment by the Respondent after the Claimant had presented his case, rejecting the contention that there was no evidence to support the award. Noting that the non-statutory “manifest disregard of the law” basis for vacating an award is limited to matters in which the arbitrators “direct the parties to violate the law,” the Court deferred to whatever inferences the arbitrators might have drawn from what the evidence presented shows, and what it omits. Wise v. Wachovia Securities, Case No. 05-2640 (7th Cir. June 7, 2006). Since the Respondent had not presented any evidence prior to the decision on the merits by the panel, this case demonstrates very substantial deference by a court to an arbitration panel's determination of facts and the sufficiency of evidence.
Arbitration / Court Decisions
UK Court rejects contention that party may be an additional insured as an undisclosed principal
A broker was directed to procure a policy on a vessal for the benefit of two parties as co-insureds. It failed to have one party named as an insured. When a loss occurred and the claim of the unnamed party was denied, litigation unsued. The UK Court of Appeal held that losses of the unnamed party resulted from breach of duty by the broker, and that the unnamed party could not be considered to be a co-insured based upon its status as an undisclosed principal of the policy's beneficiary. Talbot Underwriting Ltd. v. Nausch, Hogan & Murray, Inc., [2006] EWCA 889 (June 29, 2006).
SPECIAL FOCUS: solvent schemes of arrangement
Solvent schemes of arrangement are processes through which solvent companies may commute all policies within the purview of the scheme, effecting a voluntary dissolution or clean reorganization with a relatively short tail. Found predominantly in the UK, they have been subject to some recent court decisions, which have included jurisdictional questions, such as whether such schemes can be imposed where some creditors or policy holders are domiciled in the US or other countries. They are controversial with US companies since they effect a reorganization outside bankruptcy laws or “traditional” US insurance rehabilitation/liquidation proceedings:
- This process is described by PriceWaterhouse Coopers and Marsh Risk Consulting in special papers found on their web sites.
- PWC has compiled a guide to specific schemes of arrangement, which describes actual schemes of arrangement administered in the UK.
- Rhode Island is the first US jurisdiction to adopt a statutory structure providing for such a process, which can be utilized only by companies domiciled under Rhode Island law. Since its adoption in 2002, there have not been any reported court opinions relating to the Rhode Island statutes. There has been some speculation as to whether the availability of this “abbreviated” form of reorganization might prompt run-off companies, or those preparing to enter a run-off mode, to re-domicile in Rhode Island.
Court of Appeal explains "manifest disregard of the law" standard
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in a securities case, affirmed the refusal of a District Court to vacate an arbitration award. Appellant conceded that none of the four bases for vacating an award articulated by the Federal Arbitration Act were present, but contended that the award should be vacated nevertheless because the award was “in manifest disregard of the law.” The Court described this standard as requiring that a panel ignore well defined, explicit law that was clearly applicable to the case, and that decisions based upon debatable points of law and disputed issues of fact did not satisfy this standard. Kurke v. Oscar Gruss and Son, Inc., Case No. 05-7018 (D.C. Cir. July 18, 2006).
Motion to vacate arbitration award rejected as untimely
In an unreported opinion (not available on PACER) not involving reinsurance, the Second Circuit affirmed the rejection of a motion to vacate an arbitration award, where the motion was served within the three month period required by the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) for service of such a motion, but was filed one day after the 90 day period expired for filing such a motion under applicable New York law. The Court found that since the FAA contained a service deadline, but not a filing deadline, it was appropriate to apply the filing deadline contained in New York state law, illustrating the importance of being cognizant of both service and filing deadlines. Hakala v. J. P. Morgan Securities, Inc., Case No. 05-3140 (2d Cir. June 21, 2006).