Ill. Magistrate Judge Orders Insurer to Produce Reinsurance Policies in Coverage Dispute

CHICAGO — An Illinois federal magistrate judge has ordered an insurer to produce its reinsurance agreements in a direct-side coverage dispute, ruling that they are relevant because they may indemnify the insurer for the policyholder’s claim.

However, in the Oct. 31 order, Magistrate Judge Geraldine Soat Brown of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois denied the policyholder’s request for all correspondence related to losses and claims, ruling that the insured failed to justify “such a broad fishing expedition.”

Harleysville Lake States Insurance Co. filed a declaratory judgment action against Lancor Equities Ltd., seeking a declaration …