Court Has Jurisdiction Over Petition to Appoint Umpire, N.Y. Federal Judge Rules

NEW YORK – A New York federal judge has appointed an umpire to oversee a COVID-19 insurance arbitration, ruling the court had jurisdiction over the petition under the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards.

In an Aug. 4 order, Judge Jennifer L. Rochon of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York explained that subject matter jurisdiction under the New York Convention extends to a petition to disqualify and replace an arbitrator presiding over an ongoing arbitration.

The judge appointed Judge Faith Hochberg, former U.S. District Judge for the District of New Jersey …