“The COVID-19 crisis is affecting every person and business around the world.... State and local governments have issued civil authority orders to implement and enforce social distancing requirements in hopes of slowing the spread of the virus. While these measures appear to be working, a collateral result is the massive shutdown of many industries around the nation and beyond.”
Collateral damage? That could be the basis for a lawsuit. Maybe even a class action.
Where some people see a crisis and look for ways to mitigate and remediate it, others – like the law firm of Daly & Black, on whose website the above passage appears – see a golden opportunity to profit handsomely by applying skills they’ve perfected as longtime storm chasers.
“Businesses and ordinary working people are suffering because they cannot work and must stay home to avoid contact with the deadly COVID-19 virus,” the firm’s pitch continues, noting that “the insurance industry offers protection to businesses that face the risk of such disruptions or shutdowns. The product is known as business interruption or business income insurance.”
Does your carrier offer such a product? Does your policy cover it?
“The short answer,” according to the Good Samaritans at Daly & Black, is “Maybe.”
Don’t take no for an answer, they advise. “Make sure you consult a qualified first party insurance lawyer with experience handling business interruption and business income claims and allow him or her to assess your individual situation....”
In a video on the website, founding partner John Black confides that his firm is planning on “filing cases of significant value in the near term and testing these cases in the courts.”
They’re not the only ones hoping to get a piece of the action. Bill Voss of The Voss Law Firm wants in, too, as does Eric Dick.
“If you own a restaurant or a bar and you have a business interruption insurance policy you can probably claim your losses under ‘civil authority,’” Dick advises.
Tough times bring out the best in some people, and the worst in others.