Wis. Federal Judge Sends Dispute Over Reinsurance Billings for Asbestos Settlement to Arbitrators

MADISON, Wis. — A dispute over reinsurance billings for an underlying asbestos settlement are subject to arbitration pursuant to the treaties’ broadly worded arbitration clauses, a Wisconsin federal judge has ruled.

In a Feb. 17 order, Judge William M. Conley of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin explained that the arbitration clauses encompass new disputes between the parties arising under the treaties, which require arbitration of any dispute.

Employers Insurance of Wausau and Continental Casualty Co. are parties to a series of reinsurance treaties, each containing an arbitration clause.

The identical arbitration clauses provided that …