UBS Group AG failed to convince a U.S. judge to clarify a 1999 settlement over Holocaust-era claims against Swiss banks, a setback for the lender as it seeks to head off potential new financial claims tied to Nazi victims’ assets, according to a Bloomberg report. 

U.S. District Judge Edward Korman in Brooklyn rejected UBS’s request for a clearer definition of the $1.25 billion accord, which the bank says was meant to shield UBS and other Swiss banks from any further liability, whether known or unknown at the time. UBS has been in a dispute in federal court with the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the U.S.-based group known for pursuing Nazis, the news outlet said.

UBS had argued that the 1990s settlement should protect it from any additional claims linked to Nazi-era accounts. At a March hearing, the bank’s lawyer told the judge UBS wanted clarification to prevent the Wiesenthal Center from seeking more money or stirring public controversy in ways the bank says conflict with the settlement. The bank warned that new claims could expose it to billions of dollars in liability, Bloomberg said.

Korman ruled Tuesday that because there was no lawsuit or motion currently before him, he could not issue what would amount to an advisory opinion, the news agency reported. UBS recently said on its website that the accord was intended to bring a conclusive end to the controversy while allowing Jewish organizations to continue seeking the truth about the Holocaust.

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