Reinsurance Focus

• Manifest Disregard of Law: Macromex Srl v. Globex Int’l Inc., No. 08-2255 (2d Cir. May 26, 2009) (affirming district court’s confirmation of award, finding no manifest disregard of law); Brezden v. Associated Sec. Corp., Case No. 09-2771 (USDC C.D. Cal. June 1, 2009) (denying petition to vacate, finding no manifest disregard of law) (respondents have since filed a Notice of Appeal); Holland v. Wachovia Sec., LLC, Case No. 08-1772 (USDC S.D. Cal. May 15, 2009) (dismissing petition to vacate; manifest disregard of law allegation did not necessarily depend on resolution of a substantial question of federal law). None of these opinions discuss the continued viability of this doctrine after the Supreme Court’s Hall Street Associates opinion.
• Petitions to Vacate: United Gov’t. Sec. Officers of Am., Int’l Union v. Pinkerton Gov’t Servs., Inc., Case No. 08-285 (USDC E.D. Tenn. June 03, 2009) (denying defendant’s motion to dismiss an action to vacate and modify an award, finding the court was not deprived of its concurrent jurisdiction); Steward v. H & R Block Fin. Advisors, Inc., Case No. 08-5994 (USDC D. Minn. May 28, 2009) (dismissing petition to vacate, rejecting petitioner’s numerous claims).
• Public Policy: Columbia Gas of Ohio, Inc. v. Util. Workers Union of Am., Local 349, No. 08-3616 (6th Cir. May 15, 2009) (affirming the district court’s confirmation of award, enforcement of the contract agreement not contrary to public policy).
• Miscellaneous: Parham v. Am. Bankers Ins. Co. of Fla., Case No. 07-706 (Ala. May 29, 2009) (finding no indication that the clerk entered the arbitrator’s order as the judgment of that court as required, ruling that the trial court’s order is void and vacated, dismissing the appeal for lack of subject matter jurisdiction as no final judgment exists); Med. Shoppe Int’l., Inc. v. Turner Invs., Inc., Case No. 09-00102 (USDC E.D. Mo. May 7, 2009) (granting application to confirm award as the allegations of bias failed and the court lacked jurisdiction to review allegations of factual errors); Dzanoucakis v. The Chase Manhattan Bank, USA, Case No. 06-5673 (USDC E.D.N.Y. Mar. 31, 2009) (granting motion to confirm award, finding sufficient evidentiary basis to establish the existence of an arbitration agreement and no evidence of impartiality).

This post written by Dan Crisp.