Panel: LRRA Preempts Washington Anti-Arbitration Statute In Malpractice Coverage Suit

Mealey's (March 16, 2020, 1:25 PM EDT) -- PASADENA, Calif. — Answering a certified question from a federal district court, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals held March 12 that Washington’s anti-arbitration statute is preempted by the Liability Risk Retention Act (LRRA) as it applies to risk retention groups chartered in another state, affirming the lower court’s order compelling arbitration in a coverage dispute arising from an underlying malpractice claim (Allied Professionals Insurance Co. v. Michael Scott Anglesey, M.D., et al., No. 18-56513, 9th Cir., 2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 7802)....