The District Court for the District of Columbia issued an order denying a motion to reconsider its prior order allowing Vantage Commodities to file an amended complaint and denying the reinsurer defendants’ motion for interlocutory appeal. In the underlying decision, the court determined that, while Vantage had not stated a claim for breach of contract because it had failed to allege facts showing a contractual relationship, the complaint adequately stated claims for breach of implied contract, promissory estoppel, and unjust enrichment.
The court found that Vantage had alleged enough facts to survive a motion to dismiss, noting that the court was required to draw all reasonable inferences in Vantage’s favor at the motion to dismiss stage. That determination was limited to the specific allegations in Vantage’s amended complaint, and did not “create new law.”
The court refused to exercise its discretion to allow an interlocutory appeal of its non-final order, finding that the questions of law the reinsurers presented were “tied up in the specific facts of this case.” Furthermore, while the reinsurers argued that the court’s prior order “goes against the weight of authority in reinsurance law that an insured cannot maintain a direct action against a reinsurer,” they failed to cite any specific case law showing that the court’s order was in conflict with other authorities. The court concluded that the reinsurer defendants did not meet their burden of showing that the circumstances of this case justified a departure from the basic policy of postponing appellate review until after the entry of final judgment. For more information regarding this case, see our prior posts here and here.
Vantage Commodities Financial Services I, LLC v. Assured Risk Transfer PCC, LLC, Case No. 1:17-CV-01451 (USDC D.D.C. Jan. 17, 2019).