Blog Archives

Major Victories for Insurers in Fifth Circuit Regarding COVID-19 Business Interruption Claims

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Karl A. Schulz

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has joined seven other Circuits in finding no coverage for COVID-19 business interruption claims.[1] In Terry Black’s Barbecue, L.L.C. v. State Auto. Mut. Ins. Co., 2022 U.S. App. LEXIS 287 (5th Cir. Jan. 5, 2022) and Aggie Invs., L.L.C. v. Continental Cas. Co., 2022 U.S. App. LEXIS 393 (5th Cir. Jan. 6, 2022), the Fifth Circuit considered claims under all-risk policies. In Terry Black’s Barbecue, the policy included provisions for loss of business income and extra expense. To trigger such coverages, the policy required that the suspension of operations “must be caused by direct physical loss of or damage to property at the premises.” The policy’s definition of “period of restoration” was the period…

Tagged with: business interruption, civil authority, covid-19, extra expense, Insurance
Posted in Uncategorized

Seventh Circuit Continues String of Insurer Victories in COVID-19 Business Interruption Litigation

Posted on December 21, 2021 by Karl A. Schulz

At least five Circuit Courts of Appeal have now come out in favor of insurers in COVID-19 business interruption lawsuits.[1] The latest is the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Sandy Point Dental, P.C. v. Cincinnati Ins. Co., 2021 U.S. App. LEXIS 36399 (7th Cir. Dec. 9, 2021). The Court in Sandy Point resolved three claims in one opinion under Illinois law. The three plaintiffs were a dentistry practice, a hotel, and restaurant. Each business was allegedly impacted by orders issued by Illinois’ governor to stem the spread of COVID-19. Each of the businesses’ policies included a familiar coverage threshold of a “suspension” caused by direct physical “loss” to property at a premises caused by or resulting from a Covered…

COVID-19 Business Interruption Claims: First California Court of Appeal Decision Holds That Closure Orders Are Not “Direct Physical Loss”

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Dina R. Richman

California has been a hotbed of litigation regarding COVID-19 business interruption claims. The vast majority of the trial courts have held in favor of insurers and against businesses. Now, the California Court of Appeal has weighed in. In a published decision, The Inns by the Sea v. California Mutual Insurance Company (November 15, 2021, Case No. D079036), the Fourth Appellate District held that a hotel’s business income loss resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic was not covered. About The Author

Tagged with: Business Interruption Coverage, California, Civil Authority Coverage, covid-19, Insurance, shutdown order
Posted in Uncategorized

Insurer Wins First Jury Trial on Coverage for COVID-19 Business Interruption Losses

Posted on November 02, 2021 by Alycen A. Moss, Elliot Kerzner

An insurer has won the first jury trial on coverage for Covid-19 business interruption losses after a federal jury in the Western District of Missouri issued a verdict in favor of The Cincinnati Insurance Company in K.C. Hopps Ltd. v. Cincinnati Insurance Co., Case No. 4:20-cv-437 (W.D. Mo. 2021). In K.C. Hopps, the insured, K.C. Hopps Ltd. (“Hopps”), owned and operated bars, restaurants, catering services, and event spaces in the Kansas City metropolitan area. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, civil authorities in Missouri and Kansas issued stay-at-home orders in March of 2020. In accordance with the orders, Hopps’ operations were limited to delivery, drive-through, and carry-out services. Hopps submitted a claim to its insurer, Cincinnati Insurance Company, for coverage…

Eleventh Circuit Becomes Second Federal Appellate Court To Hold No Coverage For COVID-19 Business Losses

Posted on September 01, 2021 by Alycen A. Moss, Elliot Kerzner

In the second federal appellate ruling on Covid-19 business losses, the Eleventh Circuit has joined the Eighth Circuit in holding that they do not trigger coverage because they do not involve “physical loss” or “physical damage” to property. In Gilreath Family & Cosmetic Dentistry Inc. v. Cincinnati Insurance Co., No. 21-11046, Slip. Op. (11th Cir. Aug. 31, 2021), the insured dentistry practice canceled routine and elective dental procedures at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in response to state orders and CDC recommendations. Because these procedures made up the bulk of its business, the insured lost a substantial portion of its usual income. To recover that lost income, the insured filed a claim for business interruption coverage with its insurer.…

Southern District of New York Holds Contamination Exclusion is Ambiguous as Applied to Covid-19 Business Losses

Posted on April 16, 2021 by Paul Ferland, Elliot Kerzner

The Southern District of New York recently held that a contamination exclusion was ambiguous in the context of Covid-19-related business interruption losses. Accordingly, the court held that the issue was inappropriate to decide at the summary judgment stage and denied both parties’ cross-motions for summary judgment. In Thor Equities LLC v. Factory Mut. Ins. Co., No. 1:20-cv-03380 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 31, 2021), an insured commercial property owner sought business interruption coverage under its property insurance policy. The parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment, asking the court to determine the applicability of two exclusions, one of which was a contamination exclusion. The exclusion excluded “contamination, and any cost due to contamination including the inability to use or occupy property or any…

Policyholders’ Counsel Test “Mother of All” Covid-19 Coverage Suits in a Bid to Block Insurers’ Path to Federal Court

Posted on January 5, 2021 by Farrell Miller

Covid-19 has caused trillions in business losses. Whether those losses are covered by commercial property insurance is an existential issue for both policyholders and insurers. But before that legal battle, the battlefield must be chosen. Do these coverage suits belong in federal or state court? In July 2020, a group of 42 Chicago restaurants and bars filed a lawsuit in Illinois state court against 19 commercial property insurers, seeking coverage for Covid-19 business losses,[1] in what plaintiffs’ counsel called the “mother of all” Covid-19 coverage suits.[2] A few days later, the same counsel filed a suit in New York state court on behalf of 94 restaurants and bars against 41 insurers.[3] Both suits allege that the insurers wrongly denied coverage,…

North Carolina Court Finds Coverage for Restaurants’ COVID-19 Business Income Losses

Posted on October 23, 2020 by Paul Ferland

A trial level court in North Carolina recently found coverage under first-party property insurance policies for the insured restaurants’ COVID-19-related business income losses. In North State Deli, LLC et al. v. Cincinnati Ins. Co., et al., Case No. 20-CVS-02569 in the General Court of Justice, Superior Court Division, County of Durham, Judge Orlando F. Hudson, Jr. granted partial summary judgment to the plaintiff-insureds, finding that plaintiffs’ business income losses resulting from the governmental shutdown of its business constituted a “loss” to property, sufficient to trigger coverage under the Cincinnati policies. Although similarly situation insureds will undoubtedly rely on this decision in support of their claims for coverage, it is important to note that the North State Deli decision relies heavily…

Trouble Brewing: Florida Federal Court Dismisses Beer Distributor’s Claim for COVID-19 Losses

Posted on October 15, 2020 by Alexandra Schultz

Insurance claims arising out of COVID-19-related commercial losses have been hotly contested, and lawsuits have been filed across the country by policyholders seeking coverage for lost business income. These claims typically raise similar coverage questions – whether the spread of a virus could constitute “direct physical loss,” whether civil authority coverage is triggered, and whether virus exclusions preclude coverage. In Harvest Moon Distributors, LLC v. Southern-Owners Insurance Company, Case no. 6:20-cv-1026-Orl-40DCI, Judge Paul Byron of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida recently granted an insurer’s motion to dismiss in a different type of COVID-19 claim, relating to spoliation of product after a contract fell through. The insured, Harvest Moon Distributors, LLC (“Harvest Moon”), is a wine…

Eleventh Circuit Confirms Cleaning is not Direct Physical Loss

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Alycen A. Moss, Elliot Kerzner

The Eleventh Circuit has provided some clarity to Florida businesses and their insurers dealing with COVID-19 claims. In Mama Jo’s Inc., d.b.a. Berries v. Sparta Ins. Co., No. 18-12887 (11th Cir. March 18, 2020), the Court held that a restaurant’s lost income and extra cleaning costs due to nearby roadwork did not trigger coverage because it did not involve direct physical loss or damage. In the underlying case pending in the Southern District of Florida, Mama Jo’s, Inc. v. Sparta Ins. Co., 17-CV-23362-KMM, 2018 WL 3412974, at *9 (S.D. Fla. June 11, 2018), the Court considered whether there was a direct physical loss when construction debris and dust from road work required the insured to clean its floors, walls, tables,…