Panel Refuses to Transfer Coverage Actions to Chinese Drywall MDL

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has refused to transfer three declaratory judgment actions involving insurance coverage of Chinese drywall claims to MDL 2047. Taylor Woodrow Communities at Vasari LLC v. Mid-Continent Casualty Co., No. 09-823 (M.D. Fla.); Chartis Specialty Insurance Co., et al. v Banner Supply Co., et al., No. 10-339 (M.D. Fla.); General Fidelity Insurance Co. v. Foster, No. 09-80743 (S.D. Fla.).

In a June 15 order, the JPML ruled that although the declaratory judgment actions appear to implicate similar legal issues, the questions presented require little or no centralized discovery and do not alone …