S.C. Federal Judge Bifurcates Trial in Reinsurance Fraud Action Against U.S. Bank

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina federal judge has ordered separate trials in a lawsuit accusing a bank of mishandling reinsurance funds: the first for the insurer’s claims against the bank, and the second for all remaining third-party claims levied by the bank against third-party defendants.

In an Aug. 23 order, Judge J. Michelle Childs of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina held that bifurcation “would serve the objectives of promoting convenience and achieving an expeditious and economical resolution to the claims raised by the parties.”

Companion Property and Casualty Insurance Co. participated in a fronted …