Court Says Arbitrator’s Refusal to Postpone Hearing and Consider Witnesses Not 'Misconduct' Requiring Vacatur

[Editor's note: Nora Valenza-Frost of Carlton Fields represents U.S. and international insurers and reinsurers in arbitration and litigation involving complex claims, coverage, and regulatory issues across all lines of business.]

NEW YORK — An arbitrator did not commit misconduct by refusing to accept evidence from a party’s witness because the party admitted that the witness was not “key,” such that the opposing party’s critical arguments would go unopposed, a New York federal judge has ruled.

In an Oct. 18 order, Judge Edgardo Ramos of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York denied the party’s motion to …