California Court: An Insurance Claim for Feng Shui Is Not Harmonious Qi

Feng shui is a Chinese philosophical system that supposedly orients buildings and their contents in an auspicious manner.  Last month in Patel v. American Economy Ins. Co., — F.Supp.2d —, 2014 WL 1862211 (N.D. Cal., May 8, 2014), however, a California court rejected the notion that it was compensable under a first-party property insurance policy as either a legitimate expense to repair direct physical loss or damage or a necessary extra expense to avoid additional business income loss. On October 14, 2009, a fire filled the dental offices of Dr. Namrata Patel with smoke.  Dental and electronic equipment was damaged, and she incurred costs for cleaning and repair, inventory replacement, and lost business income during a one-month closure after the…