Hurwitz, Sagarin, Slossberg & Knuff, LLC and its attorneys have served as local, lead and trial counsel for a number of national and international reinsurance companies in multi-million dollar cases involving such issues as settlement allocations, collection of unpaid liabilities, follow the fortunes, obligations of utmost good faith, aggregation of arbitration claims, disputes regarding application and scope of arbitration provisions, and Unicover-type and other fraud claims. We have brought a determined approach to these cases, achieving the client’s goals in the most cost-effective manner. Representative clients include XL Re, Odyssey Re, Munich Re, Westport Reinsurance, Gerling Global, Phil Re, TIG Insurance, Fremont Indemnity Company and Phil Re.
Matters in which attorneys at HSSK have represented companies in reinsurance disputes include:
- Connecticut counsel for reinsurance company in declaratory judgment action brought by talc manufacturer against multiple insurers. See R.T. Vanderbilt Company v. Hartford Accident & Indemnity Company, 2002 WL 3425583 (Conn. Super. Ct. Aug. 16, 2002); 52 Conn. L. Rptr. 349, 2011 WL 3278592 (Conn. Super. Ct. July 8, 2011).
- Connecticut counsel for insurer in federal action against reinsurer seeking to recovery reinsurance benefits purportedly owed under a liabilities reinsurance agreement and arising from insurer’s settlement of a claim against insured. See Arrowood Surplus Lines Ins. Co. v. Westport Ins. Co., 395 Fed. Appx. 778, 2010 WL 3933561 (2d Cir. Oct. 8, 2010).
- Represented respondent in arbitration concerning reinsurance obligations. See In Re Matter of the Arbitration Between Glacier Reinsurance AG, Petitioner and Odyssey American Reinsurance Corporation, 2007 WL 1875658 (D.Conn. June 27, 2007).
- Connecticut counsel for underwriters at Lloyds of London in action by insurer to recover from reinsurers a major portion of the $1.15 billion the insurer had paid to resolve approximately 17,000 asbestos-related claims. See Hartford Accident and Indemnity Co. v. Ace American Reinsurance Co., 40 Conn. L. Rptr. 480, 2005 WL 3663930 (Conn. Super. Ct. Dec. 14, 2005).
- Connecticut counsel for third party defendant in litigation involving reinsurance obligations. See Security Ins. Co. of Hartford v. Trustmark Ins. Co., 282 F.Supp.3d 612 (D.Conn. 2003).
- Connecticut counsel for facultative reinsurer in action by comprehensive-general liability insurer to recover part of cost of setting claims for environmental contamination. See Hartford Accident and Indemnity Co. v. Columbia Casualty Co., 98 F.Supp.2d 251 (D.Conn. 2000).
- Lead trial counsel for TIG Insurance Company in defense of Unicover fraud claims brought by Security Mutual.
- Represented Fremont Indemnity Company in successful defense of allocations claims. See Hartford Accident and Indemnity, et. al. v. Ace American, et. al., 2003 WL 22245421 (Conn. Super. Sept. 23, 2003).
- Represented Gerling Global in case involving dispute as to obligation to follow the fortunes concerning underlying asbestos settlement and allocation.
- Counsel for Odyssey Re in efforts to collect monies owed by reinsurer notwithstanding defense that contract language did not trigger said payments.
- Connecticut counsel for reinsurance company in declaratory judgment action brought by talc manufacturer against multiple insurers. See R.T. Vanderbilt Company v. Hartford Accident & Indemnity Company, et al., Superior Court Complex Litigation Docket at Waterbury, X02 CV07-5007875.
