Insurance battles over UK Covid lockdowns rage on in courts

FT ^ | May 13 | Alistair Gray and Ian Smith in London

[RandFan]

Four years since Covid-19 lockdown curbs forced Burger & Lobster to close its restaurants, the purveyor of gourmet patties and crustacean rolls is still battling with its insurance company to recover some of the resulting losses.

Alongside more than 20 other businesses including the owners of Hawksmoor steakhouses and Newcastle Falcons rugby club, the chain has brought a claim against Allianz in London’s High Court after the insurer declined to pay out on its business interruption policy, a type of cover designed to compensate for lost revenues.

The case is one of dozens being fought between insurers and UK policyholders from national hotel chains to local hairdressers, breweries and tattoo parlours angered at how their claims have been handled.

Data from litigation analysis group Solomonic shows there are more than 100 unresolved insurance cases in the High Court related to Covid-19. The total combined value of the sums being sought is about £735m....

[RandFan]

Nearly $1 billion dollars in claims!

Amazing and not surprising this is still going on.

Are these businesses entitled to compensation?

[Mr Radical]

This FT article is behind a paywall. This one isn’t:
https://invesloan.com/business/insurance-battles-over-uk-covid-lockdowns-rage-on-in-courts-invesloan-com/

Not really surprising this is still going on - insurance companies won’t pay out if they can avoid it!

Are these businesses entitled to the payout under the strict terms of these insurance contracts (not every wording is the same)? I guess that will be decided by some judges in the High Court!

[Don W]

Insurance companies are the absolute WORST when it comes to honouring their commitments.

They are more than happy to take your premiums, but the moment you make a claim they try everything they can think of to avoid any payout.

E.G. My F-350 diesel longbox crewcab was stolen. Comparable trucks were selling in the $25-30K range. After 4 months of delay, they finally cut me a cheque. For $12,500. They also refused to cover anything that was in or on the truck, even if it was permanently mounted. Extra lighting, the pony tank, the running boards, the headache rack. Too bad so sad was their response.

Second example: My brother recently passed away, and it took over a month for the first company, and 4 months for the second company to pay out. Delay and repeated requests for the same documents. It was almost as difficult to deal with as the death itself.

I have little respect for insurance companies, and consider their salesmen just a step below used car hucksters.

[T.B. Yoits]

The insurance companies can't claim Covid-19⁸⁴ was an act of God because it was an act of man, a very specific group of men and women.

They need to pay out and then go after Fauci and his cohorts for creating and unleashing an illegal gain-of-function bioweapon.