coronavirus lawsuits News

What ‘Follow the Fortunes’ Means for COVID-19 Reinsurance Claims

How reinsurers will respond when cedents pay their insureds for COVID-related business interruptions remains an open question, legal and insurance professionals suggested recently, adding more wrinkles to an already complex claims situation. Illustrating some of the specific reinsurance coverage questions …

New Business Interruption Insurance Class Action Launched in Canada

Koskie Minsky LLP and the Merchant Law Group have launched a proposed national class action lawsuit alleging that Canadian insurance companies have breached their contracts with business owners by refusing to pay for business interruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. …

State Judge Rejects Michigan Restaurants’ COVID-19 Business Interruption Claim

A trial court judge in Lansing, Michigan handed a victory to insurers in what may be the nation’s first final ruling on the question of whether a property insurer is liable for financial damages caused by a coronavirus closure order. …

Governor Signs Louisiana Bills Shielding Businesses from Virus Lawsuits

Louisiana businesses are receiving state protection from most lawsuits involving COVID-19 deaths or injuries, after Gov. John Bel Edwards signed into law a package of measures that provides the sweeping liability limitations. Three Republican-sponsored bills offering the lawsuit shields won …

Tennessee House Lawmakers Advance Broad Coronavirus Liability Protection

Tennessee would become the latest state to provide health care providers, schools and businesses broad protections against coronavirus lawsuits under a proposal gaining traction inside the GOP-dominant Statehouse. House Republicans approved such a measure Tuesday despite objections from Democrats, who …

Arkansas Governor Signs Orders Giving Businesses Virus Lawsuit Protections

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson had granted businesses protections from coronavirus lawsuits, while the state’s epidemiologist said she’s concerned loosened restrictions may have caused some to lower their guard against the virus. Hutchinson signed executive orders that grants similar immunity to …

Georgia Senate Panel Wants Businesses Shielded from COVID-19 Suits

A Georgia Senate committee wants to protect businesses, governments, property owners and emergency personnel from being sued if someone claims they contracted COVID-19 because of them. The Senate Public Safety Committee voted Monday to amend House Bill 216, which originally …

Investors’ Suit Alleges Firm Inflated Stock with Misleading Claims About Its Covid Test

An investor lawsuit against a Utah company alleges its principals falsely claimed its coronavirus diagnostic test was “100% accurate” and before doubts about the claim became widely reported, directors and officers of the company were selling off their own stock …

UK Insurers Cite Swedish Example in Bid to Dodge Coronavirus Biz Income Payouts

Insurers are set to argue against paying out fully on claims made by businesses forced to shut because of the pandemic, saying that shops in Sweden lost money even without a strict lockdown. The strategy was raised at the first …

Big Publishers Sue Digital ‘Emergency Library’ Offering Free Books During Coronavirus

Four of the country’s biggest publishers have sued a digital library for copyright infringement, alleging that the Internet Archive has illegally offered more than a million scanned works to the public, including such favorites as Toni Morrison’s “Song of Solomon, …