Hatfield v. Safeco Insurance

Defendant is appealing an order setting aside an arbitration award. The defendant is an insurance carrier and the plaintiffs are the insured. The plaintiffs were injured by an uninsured motorist and sought to recover from the defendant. A dispute arose over the amount of the defendant’s liability and the plaintiffs requested arbitration in conformity with the arbitration clause in the contract of insurance. The arbitrator made an award in the amount of $875 and the plaintiffs sought to have the order set aside. The trial court held that the arbitrator had exceeded his powers and set the award…