Articles Posted in Business Disputes

After the governor of Illinois issued an executive order banning gatherings greater than 50 people due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the Illinois Republican Party sued. The state GOP alleged that the order’s carve out for religious services violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment because it privileged religious services over other types of speech, including political speech. The appellate panel disagreed, finding that the order did not violate the Free Exercise Clause because it was clear that speech that accompanies religious exercise had a privileged position under the First Amendment and that the executive order permissibly accommodated religious activities.

In response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, Governor J. B. Pritzker of Illinois has issued a series of executive orders designed to limit the virus’ opportunities to spread. The Illinois Republican Party and some of its affiliates believe that one executive order issued by Pritzker, a ban on gatherings of groups larger than 50, violated the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment because it contained a carve-out for the free exercise of religion, which allowed religious organizations to gather in groups of larger than 50 individuals.

The plaintiffs sought a permanent injunction against EO 43, assuming that such an injunction would permit them to gather in groups larger than 50, rather than reinstate the stricter ban for religion that some of the Governor’s earlier executive orders included. The district court denied the plaintiffs’ request for an injunction, and the plaintiffs appealed.

The appellate panel began by stating that the argument of the plaintiffs was essentially that religious groups were privileged over other groups in terms of limits on gatherings and that the only difference between the religious groups and others was the content of their speech. The panel found that, based on the Supreme Court’s Religion Clause cases, it was clear that speech that accompanies religious exercise has a privileged position under the First Amendment, and that EO43 permissibly accommodates religious activities. Continue reading ›

ATTENTION BUSINESS OWNERS: we are investigating possible wrongful denials of business interruption insurance claims due to COVID-19. If you would like us to review your policy, feel free to send it along.

As we have written about previously, the COVID-19 pandemic and the numerous restrictions and shelter in place orders that have been implemented have spawned a number of lawsuits from business owners against insurance companies. These suits seek to determine coverage for business income losses that resulted from businesses being forced to shut down in compliance with government orders. A recent ruling from a federal judge in Kansas City could open the window for thousands of businesses whose insurers have denied their COVID-19-related claims.

Background of the COVID Coverage Disputes

Businesses holding all risk or business income interruption polices have submitted claims throughout the country to their insurers seeking coverage for business interruptions based on COVID-19-related closures. The claims generally seek recovery of lost business income and extra expenses incurred due to having to close their places of business as a result of the presence of the virus or government orders. The response from insurance companies has been almost universal: denial of the claims on the basis that the losses do not constitute a “direct physical loss or damage” at the covered property. Following the filing of hundreds of insurance coverage lawsuits, some plaintiffs are seeking consolidation of the federal lawsuits in multidistrict litigation. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation heard an argument for consolidation in August and is expected to issue a decision in the coming weeks.

To date, most court decisions have sided with insurance companies. The courts in these cases have held that the risks posed by COVID-19 do not meet the direct physical loss or damage requirement for coverage under the insured’s respective policies. The recent opinion from U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Bough is definitely an outlier but gives new ammo for those businesses whose claims have not yet been decided or who have yet to file suit against their insurance companies. Continue reading ›

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all kinds of businesses all over the world, but small businesses have been hit the hardest. Many business owners pay for business insurance to help them cover the costs of doing business when they can’t do business, or to cover the costs of litigation if they get sued.

But this pandemic has put so many small businesses out of business, even if just temporarily, those insurers have been flooded with claims – and when insurers get flooded with claims, they usually look for excuses to avoid paying all those claims.

Hiscox is a major insurance company that specializes in selling business insurance to small business owners, often directly over the internet without the aid of an insurance broker. When many of those policyholders tried to file claims with Hiscox for business disruption, Hiscox allegedly claimed the pandemic is not covered under the terms of their business disruption insurance policy.

In response to the insurance company’s refusal to pay up, almost 350 policyholders came together to form the Hiscox Action Group. Mishcon de Reya, a law firm based in London, has been hired to represent Hiscox Action Group and they quickly entered into arbitration against Hiscox over the unpaid business disruption insurance claims.

Hiscox is not the only insurance company refusing to pay small business owners for the losses they have suffered as a result of COVID-19. Seven other insurance companies, along with Hiscox, are taking part in a UK court test case to determine whether insurers can be made to pay business disruption claims in the wake of COVID-19. Continue reading ›