A commentary on insurance coverage issues in Hawaii and beyond
The Hawaii Insurance Commissioner has requested that admitted and non-admitted insurers offering policies in Hawaii take special consideration of policyholder impacted by COVID-19. The March 27, 2020 bulletin reads:
The impact on individuals and businesses due to COVID-19 nationwide is evident in the daily news coverage. The anticipated negative impact on individuals and
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Most property policies provide coverage for property damage only when there is "direct physical loss" to covered property. Early indications are that the coronavirus remains on surfaces. The duration can last from a few hours to three weeks, depending on the type of surface material. If an employee is infected and the store…
Last week, the first lawsuit was filed seeking insurance coverage for business-interruption due to losses caused by COVID-19. The case, Cajun Conti, LLC, et al. v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's of London, ,et al., was filed in Louisiana. A New Orleans restaurant, Oceana Grill," seeks a declaratory judgment that its "all risks" policy…
The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) took the unusual step last week of instructing all property/casualty insurers to provide information on commercial property insurance and details on business interruption coverage in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. The notice is here.
The notice recognizes that policyholders have urgent questions…
Individuals and businesses are asking what insurance coverage is available for harm caused by COVID-19 and the coronavirus. Here is a short survey addressing possible coverage under various policies.
Property Insurance – Typically, damage to tangible property insured by "covered causes of loss" is covered by a commercial property or homeowner's…
The insured's claim for reformation of the policy after the business interruption coverage was denied was dismissed by the court. Nat'l Compressor Exch., Inc. v. Hanover Ins. Co. Inc., 2019 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 6370 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. Oct. 23, 2019).
On certain days in June and July of 2013, the…
It has been an active hurricane season thus far for Hawaii, and there are still three months left in the season. To supplement our prior tips for homeowners in preparing to submit insurance claims after a storm [here], below are some additional tips for businesses.
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