Insurance Coverage Action Should Be Litigated in Florida, Judge Rules

TAMPA, Fla. - A federal judge has denied a motion to dismiss a Chinese drywall coverage action filed in Florida, rejecting efforts to have the matter transferred to MDL 2047 under the "first-filed" rule. National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, et al., v. Beta Construction LLC, et al., No. 10-1541 (M.D. Fla.).

The Sept. 24 decision by Judge Richard A. Lazzara of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida counters one issued two days earlier from another judge in the same district, who determined that a drywall coverage dispute met the prerequisites for transfer …