Northwestern Asks Judge to Dismiss Captive's DJ Action

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Northwestern National Insurance Co. has asked a federal judge to dismiss an action in which a captive insurer seeks to limit its reinsurance obligation for the underlying settlement of asbestos claims brought against Abex Corp. Whitman Insurance Company Ltd. v. Northwestern National Insurance Co., et al., No. 11-1205 (D. D.C.).

In a brief filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, NNIC asserts that there is no written reinsurance agreement between itself and the captive, Whitman Insurance Co., therefore the statute of frauds bars Whitman's claims.

Whitman countered that it is the de facto …