Ala. Federal Judge Dismisses Claims Against Insurer in Four Sexual Misconduct Actions

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — An Alabama federal judge says he has no jurisdiction over state law claims filed against an insurer seeking coverage under reinsurance agreements for sexual misconduct that allegedly took place in a city jail, ruling that the claims in four of the six cases must be dismissed.

In a Jan. 23 order, Judge L. Scott Coogler of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama held that the exercise of supplemental jurisdiction is not appropriate because the claims “raise a novel or complex issue of state law” better resolved by a state court.

The cases all …