Coronavirus Insurance Litigation Attorney Philadelphia
The current pandemic of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) presents a public health crisis the likes of which has not been seen in over a century. Though the first thing on everyone’s mind in this crisis is the health and safety of our people, concerns about the health and security of our economy are not far behind.
A huge section of all businesses have been closed in order to minimize contact between people and slow the spread of the virus. Even those businesses which have been deemed essential are experiencing significant disruption. To take just one example, the National Restaurant Association has estimated that, over the next three months, five to seven million jobs and more than $200 billion dollars of revenue will be lost, even while many restaurants are still open for takeout.
This is a cause for serious concern for virtually every business owner in America. Most of us are looking at either a major loss or the complete absence of any revenue for an unspecified number of months to come. Consequently, many will have difficulty paying rent, payroll, and other necessary bills, and the very survival of countless businesses is threatened.
But there is hope. Firstly, in response to this economic emergency, Congress has enacted, and will likely continue to enact, laws providing loans and grants to businesses affected to COVID-19. Furthermore, most businesses have some form of insurance coverage, which typically includes Business Interruption Coverage. Business Interruption Coverage, also known as Business Income Insurance, provides financial relief in the event of a disruptive disaster, in compensation for the business’s lost income. In the past, this form of coverage usually applied in cases of property damage and loss of income related to natural disasters on a local or regional level. The case of the disaster caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is different, not only because it is a global phenomenon, but also because so many businesses are closed by government order. Given these complications, insurance companies will do everything in their power to avoid their legal obligation to their clients. It takes an experienced expert in business and insurance law to thoroughly understand the obligations entailed by a Business Interruption Coverage Policy, and know how to use them as a tool to get you the compensation you need and deserve. That’s where we come in.
At The Law Offices of Greg Proshmushkin, P.C. a skilled Business Interruption Coverage/Business Income Insurance Attorney will review your business insurance policy free of charge, and determine whether you have Business Interruption Coverage. If you do, we will be able to evaluate what coverage you have in the four major subcategories of Business Interruption Coverage. These categories are Business Income, Civil Authority, Extended Business Income, and Dependent Properties. Civil Authority Insurance Coverage is especially relevant to many businesses in the present crisis, because it applies when a civil authority prohibits access to a business. To meet this standard, two conditions must be true:
- Access to the area immediately surrounding the damaged property is prohibited by civil authority as a result of the damage, and the described premises are within that area but are not more than one mile from the damaged property; and
- The action of civil authority is taken in response to dangerous physical conditions resulting from the damage or continuation of the Covered Cause of Loss that caused the damage, or the action is taken to enable a civil authority to have unimpeded access to the damaged property.
Of course, even when these two conditions are met, Insurance Companies will often attempt to avoid payment by claiming the existence of some form of “exclusion” that prevents payment of the otherwise legitimate claim. In many cases, this is a dishonest move, and does not hold up to expert legal scrutiny.
Philadelphia Coronavirus Insurance Litigation Attorney
Do not allow your business to suffer from the refusal of your insurance to pay what they owe. Contact us today, so that our Business Interruption Coverage and Business Income lawyers can begin reviewing your insurance policy. We will determine if your company has any Business Interruption Coverage coverage, and, if so, whether this policy is subject to any exclusions which apply to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.