Liberty Mutual Asks Court to Seat Umpire in Arbitration with Nationwide

BOSTON — Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. has asked a Massachusetts federal judge to select an umpire to oversee its arbitration with Nationwide Insurance Co. involving reinsurance for asbestos-related losses suffered by Houdaille Industries Inc.

In its Dec. 6 petition to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Liberty Mutual asserts that Nationwide has refused to cooperate in seating an umpire in an attempt to consolidate this arbitration with another, unrelated, reinsurance arbitration.

Liberty Mutual demanded arbitration against Nationwide, seeking reimbursement under certain excess of loss reinsurance treaties in effect from 1972 to 1983. The treaties covered policies issued …