Judge Dismisses Reinsurance Dispute for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction

BOSTON - A Massachusetts state court does not have jurisdiction over a reinsurance dispute between OneBeacon Insurance Co. and several foreign reinsurers because none of the reinsurers had "continuous and systematic" contacts with the state, a Massachusetts judge has ruled. OneBeacon America Insurance Co. v. Argonaut Insurance Co., et al., No. 09-5085-BLS1 (Mass. Super. Ct., Suffolk Cty.).

On Nov. 9, Justice Peter M. Lauriat of the Suffolk County (Mass.) Superior Court ruled that jurisdiction does not exist under the Massachusetts Long-Arm Statute because the reinsurers did not purposefully solicit business in Massachusetts.

OneBeacon, a Massachusetts company is the successor to …