Reinsurers Oppose Liberty Mutual's Petition for Umpire Appointment

BOSTON, Mass. - Three reinsurers have opposed a cedent's petition for appointment of an umpire to oversee the arbitration of a $6.5 million reinsurance contract dispute involving underlying asbestos claims. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. v. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., et al., No. 11-10651 (D. Mass.).

In their opposition filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the reinsurers assert that the court "must not insert itself into the umpire selection process at this time when there has been no 'lapse' in the selection process expressly provided by the contracts."

Liberty Mutual issued a series of policies to …