A federal judge drew a road map of where Penn National went wrong in a ruling saying the insurance company will have to pay back Liberty Mutual for an $850,000 wrongful death lawsuit settlement—plus interest and attorney fees.

U.S. District Chief Judge Mark Hornak of the Western District of Pennsylvania took issue in a Nov. 6 ruling with an insurance company ignoring a claim for three years, then denying it, then later trying to litigate liability for it.