We know that the insurance industry is rejecting every or, almost every, business interruption claim related to COVID-19. How likely are these denials to hold up in court and what should policyholders looking for in the denials and doing in response?
This session will give a brief overview of business interruption coverage as it relates to COVID-19 losses, discuss the "direct physical loss of or damage to" requirement, civil authority coverage, and typical exclusions cited by insurers when denying coverage (including "disease" and "virus" exclusions). It will also address what policyholders should do to protect themselves and what we are seeing in the currently pending cases where policyholders are fighting their business interruption denials.
Then, we will hear form Steve Hooper, Ethan Stowell Restaurants president about what they are doing to keep you safe when you visit their establishments.
This course is approved by the Washington Office of Insurance Commissioner for 1 hour of CE credit. (CE Course Number: 626216)
Our Speakers:
- Steve Hooper, President - Ethan Stowell Restaurants
Steve Hooper is a native of the Pacific Northwest, having grown up in Redmond, and currently residing in Green Lake. He graduated from Colby College and spent his early career in Investment Banking in Seattle and Venture Capital in Boston. After graduating with his MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, Steve decided to pursue his entrepreneurial passion, founding Kigo Kitchen and leading it as CEO from inception until its merger with ESR in 2019.
- Tristan Swanson, Partner - Miller Nash Graham & Dunn LLP
Tristan is a partner at Miller Nash Graham & Dunn in their Seattle, Washington office. Tristan focuses his practice on representing commercial policyholders for whom he has recovered tens of millions of dollars over the course of his career. Tristan is currently representing some of the best known restaurants in Seattle relative to their claims for COVID-19 business interruption coverage.