In Murphy Oil USA Inc., v. SR International Business Insurance Co. Ltd., et al., the insured sought coverage from its various excess insurers for losses resulting from an oil spill caused by Hurricane Katrina.  No. 07-1071, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 69732 (W.D. Ark., Sept. 20, 2007).  Murphy’s excess insurers in turn served a notice of their intent to arbitrate any coverage dispute in London, pursuant to an arbitration clause contained in each insurer’s policy. 
Read More Arkansas Federal Court Finds That the New York Convention Preempts the McCarran-Ferguson Act

On Wednesday, November 7, 2007, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Hall Street Associates, LLC v. Mattel, Inc., No. 06-989, in which the court is examining whether parties can contract for arbitration agreements that allow for judicial review of an arbitrator’s decision beyond that which is already provided for in the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”). 
Read More Supreme Court Hears Oral Argument on the Scope of Judicial Review of Arbitral Awards

Recently, a New York state court gave the New York Liquidation Bureau (“NYLB”) permission to notify more than 300,000 creditors of Union Indemnity Insurance Company (“Union Indemnity”) that it plans to make the first distribution from the insolvent property casualty insurer’s estate. 
Read More New York State Court to Determine Whether Distribution from Insolvent Union Indemnity Estate Should be Permitted

In Zurich American Ins. Co. v. The Superior Court of Los Angeles County, et al., No. B194793 (Cal. App., 2nd Dist., Oct. 11, 2007), an appellate panel reversed a lower court’s order and held that the attorney-client privilege extends to communications between an insurer’s employees regarding legal advice and strategy, even if such communications do not contain advice directly from counsel, when disclosure is reasonably necessary for the transmission of that information or to further the purpose of the legal consultation. 
Read More California Appellate Court Rejects Narrow Definition of Attorney-Client Privilege With Respect to Documents Contained in Insurer’s Claims Files

In the wake of New York Superintendent Eric Dinallo’s announcement that New York was changing the rules surrounding collateral requirements for foreign reinsurers, it was reported last week that several other U.S. states are contemplating similar changes. 


Read More Other States Contemplate Following N.Y.’s Lead to Change Foreign Reinsurer Collateral Requirements

In a recent decision originating from the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, Oklahoma v. Employers Reinsurance Corp., No. Civ-06-0426-HE, (W.D. Okla. Sept. 13, 2007), the court refused to imply a “follow the fortunes” clause into a facultative certificate in the absence of the explicit inclusion of such a term by the parties. 


Read More Court Rejects Cedent’s Argument that the “Follow the Fortunes” Clause Should be Implied into a Facultative Certificate and Binds Cedent to its Initial Settlement Allocation

In a case arising out of Hurricane Katrina-related damages, the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut ruled that communications between a cedent and reinsurer that were prepared in the ordinary course of business are not protected by the work-product privilege. 


Read More Connecticut Federal Court Rules that Certain Communications Between a Cedent and Reinsurer in a Hurricane Katrina-Related Case are Not Protected by the Work-Product Privilege

On Thursday, New York Superintendent of Insurance Eric Dinallo proposed a regulation seeking to eliminate the existing collateral requirements imposed on foreign and alien reinsurers operating in New York. 
Read More New York Insurance Superintendent Proposes Change in Collateral Requirements for Non-New York Admitted Reinsurers