American Motorists Insurance v. Llanes

The appellant, Guadalupe Llanes, filed a motion in circuit court to confirm an arbitration award under his uninsured motorist policy issued by the appellee ("American” below). The insurer then filed a separate action for declaratory judgment to vacate the decision of the arbitrator. After consolidation of these matters, the circuit judge entered separate judgments confirming the arbitration award and granting summary judgment in favor of Llanes.

On appeal to the Court of Appeals, American argued that the arbitrator had no authority to rule on Llanes’s gunshot claim because it presented a…