Reinsurance Focus

New reinsurance-related and arbitration developments from Carlton Fields

NINTH CIRCUIT ADOPTS REBUTTABLE PRESUMPTION THAT ORDER WHICH DOES NOT EXPLICITLY DISMISS ARBITRABLE CLAIMS STAYS THE ACTION AS TO THOSE CLAIMS

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Under the Federal Arbitration Act, only “a final decision with respect to an arbitration” is appealable. 9 U.S.C. §16(a)(3). The issue facing the Ninth Circuit was whether an order compelling arbitration which neither explicitly dismissed nor explicitly stayed the action was such “a final decision.” The Court concluded it was not a final decision and therefore was not appealable.  In MediVas, the district court’s order on appeal (“Order”) ruled that many of the plaintiff’s claims were subject to the arbitration clause, and ordered arbitration for those claims. As to the remaining claims, the district court remanded them to state court. Neither the Order nor any other order in that case explicitly dismissed nor explicitly stayed the arbitrable claims, and no judgment was entered in the action.

In its analysis, the Court reasoned that a final decision is one which “ends the litigation on the merits and leaves nothing for the court to do but execute the judgment.” Thus, an order compelling arbitration may be appealed if it dismisses all the underlying claims, but may not be appealed if the court stays the action pending arbitration. Consistent with its earlier rulings and with the procedural history of the case before it, the Ninth Circuit held the Order implicitly stayed the arbitrable claims pending the outcome of the arbitration. Because those claims were not dismissed, the Order was therefore interlocutory and not appealable.

Significantly, although the Medivas Court declined to follow the Second Circuit’s requirement of an official dismissal of all claims before reviewing an order compelling arbitration, the Court adopted a rebuttable presumption that an order compelling arbitration which did not explicitly dismiss the underlying claims stays the action as to those claims pending the completion of the arbitration. The Court did so in order to simplify the analysis in future cases where the order compelling arbitration is not clear. Along those lines, the MediVas Court also urged the district courts make their orders as clear as possible as to whether they intend to dismiss or stay a case, and noted that the appeal before it could have been avoided had the parties requested a clarification of the Order.  MediVas, LLC, et. al. v. Marubeni Corporation, Case No. 12-55375 D.C. No. 3:10-cv-01001-W-RBB (9th Cir. Jan. 27, 2014).

This post written by Leonor Lagomasino.

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COURT ALLOWS THIRD PARTY DISCOVERY OF BROKER MATERIALS CLAIMED TO BE PRIVILEGED

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Defendant liability insurers sought discovery from Third Party Aon relating to a dispute between defendants and plaintiff regarding an umbrella coverage program. Aon provided some, but not all responsive documents, citing instructions from Plaintiff Black & Veatch, which asserted privilege objections on behalf of Aon, and provided a privilege log for 41 withheld documents. The defendants moved to compel production of all but two of those documents. In response, Black & Veatch claimed that Aon was acting as a representative of Black & Veatch, that they were made in anticipation of litigation, were subject to attorney-client privilege, and that the documents were thus protected from disclosure. The Court held that the privilege log did not adequately disclose the bases for the assertions of privilege or work product, that it was not evident that Aon acted as Black & Veatch’s agent, that the documents listed were prepared in anticipation of litigation, or that they were confidential communications reflecting a primary purpose of providing legal advice. The Court also held that the plaintiff failed to demonstrate a basis for in camera review, and thus ordered it to produce the documents. Black & Veatch v. Aspen Insurance (UK) Ltd., No. 12-2350-SAC (USDC D. Kan. Feb. 28, 2014).

This post written by John Pitblado.

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COURT COMPELS PRODUCTION OF INFORMATION EXCHANGED BETWEEN INSURER AND REINSURER AS RELEVANT TO CONSTRUCTION OF POLICY

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In a declaratory relief action brought against the FDIC by the liability insurer for the directors and officers of a bank in receivership, the court resolved a discovery dispute that included a contested request for information exchanged between the insurer and its reinsurer. In compelling the production of the reinsurance information, the court adopted a prior case’s articulation of seven reasons why reinsurance information might be relevant to assist with the construction of policy language: to determine (1) how the insurer has interpreted the provisions in the current lawsuit; (2) whether the insurer’s interpretation has been consistent with the positions taken with insureds; (3) whether the insurer and reinsurer discussed whether the type of claims in dispute would be covered; (4) whether the insurer and reinsurer discussed the insureds’ expectations on the scope of coverage; (5) when the insurer received notice of claims; (6) if the insureds’ claims were untimely, whether the insurer claimed it was prejudiced as a result; and (7) whether the reinsurer was involved in the sales and marketing of the policies in dispute, and if so, what those efforts reflect in terms of the reasonable expectations of the insureds concerning the scope of coverage. Progressive Casualty Insurance Co. v. FDIC, Case No. 5:12-cv-04041 (USDC N.D. Iowa Mar. 10, 2014).

This post written by Michael Wolgin.

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REINSURANCE ARBITRATION DISPUTE TRANSFERRED TO VENUES IN WHICH ARBITRATIONS WERE PENDING

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National Indemnity Company (NICO) sought an injunction in a Nebraska federal district court to prevent Transatlantic Reinsurance Company and its subsidiary (collectively, Transatlantic Re) from commencing arbitration against NICO in Chicago and New York under various reinsurance agreements. Both arbitrations involved asbestos liability transferred to NICO, and separately reinsured by Transatlantic Re. Transatlantic Re had commenced arbitrations in Illinois and New York (and initiated actions in those jurisdictions to compel NICO’s participation), pursuant to applicable forum selection clauses contained in Transatlantic Re’s reinsurance agreements with cedents. The Nebraska court elected not to adjudicate NICO’s injunction claim, but instead decided to sever it into two, and transfer the resulting two claims to Illinois and New York. The court analyzed venue provisions in the Federal Arbitration Act and different judicial approaches thereto, and concluded that Nebraska was limited in its jurisdiction over the claim. Illinois and New York were authorized under the FAA to compel arbitration if necessary, whereas Nebraska possessed jurisdiction only to enjoin NICO’s participation. Transfer, the court concluded, would promote judicial economy. National Indemnity Co. v. Transatlantic Reinsurance Co., Case No. 8:14-cv-00074 (USDC D. Neb. Mar. 31, 2014).

This post written by Michael Wolgin.

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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.

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