‘Amazing Results’

"Lacchini stated that when he is the president of an arbitration, he can assure the result of it, and he bragged about ‘amazing results’ he had achieved in arbitrations in Italy, including a result he obtained for a party asserting claims against Deutsche Bank," AmTrust said in the complaint.

Troy Gravitt, a spokesman for Deutsche Bank AG, said in a statement: “While the matter referenced in the AmTrust complaint was resolved, the allegations concerning potential impropriety by the arbitrator are obviously concerning and we are reviewing them carefully.”

AmTrust said its arbitrations with Somma were suspended after it petitioned an Italian court. No settlement was reached and no final award was issued, but AmTrust says it has to pay almost half a million dollars for service fees in the "sham" arbitrations.

The Milan courthouse chief, Roberto Bichi, said he’s not in a position to comment on the proceedings, which are independent. He wouldn’t confirm whether the arbitrations against AmTrust had been suspended.

"The court is evaluating the recusal of the arbiter," Bichi said.

Adam Karkowsky, AmTrust executive vice president of strategic development, said in a statement that the company still has a "solid foundation" for success in Italy but has been taught an expensive lesson: "We have learned the value of choosing the best possible partners in all of our markets."

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