Covid-19 News

Heavy Rain After Deadly China Quake Complicates Recovery

BEIJING (AP) — Heavy rains are complicating earthquake recovery efforts in southwestern China, where the death toll from Monday’s disaster has risen to 82. More than 20,000 people have been moved to temporary shelters amid the threat of landslides and …

China’s Earthquake Rescue Work Hindered by Covid Zero Controls

Rescue work after China’s most recent earthquake has been hindered by the country’s slavish adherence to a Covid Zero strategy, sparking protests and adding another layer of stress for residents and emergency personnel in the region that has already suffered …

Jury Awards $48.5M to Baylor Medical College for COVID Business-Interruption Claim

A Texas jury awarded the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston $48,529,961 for damages caused by COVID-19 in what appears to be the first jury verdict in a lawsuit that sought insurance coverage for lost business income and other damages …

COVID Impacts Linger in Courtrooms, Often a Disadvantage for Defendants

GARDEN GROVE, California — Courts have reopened and trials have resumed, but the impacts of COVID-19 continue to linger in the judicial system, a panel of claims litigation experts said during the Combined Claims Conference on Thursday. For one thing, …

Viewpoint: ‘Take-Home COVID’ Claims May Lead to Future Insurance Disputes

“Take-home COVID” claims are claims brought against an employer by the spouse or child of an employee who caught COVID-19 in the workplace and brought it home, infecting a spouse or child and causing injuries. These claims are controversial because …

S.C. Joins 3 Other State Supreme Courts, Rules No Coverage for COVID-19 Shutdown

The South Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday became the fourth state high court in the nation to rule that the virus that causes COVID-19 cannot cause a direct physical damage or loss covered by a commercial property insurance policy. The …

Calif. Court Breaks String of Insurer Wins, Scolds Peers for Premature Dismissals

A California appellate court broke from its sister jurisdictions — as well as state and federal courts across the nation — and ruled that a hotel owner’s lawsuit seeking coverage for a COVID-19 shutdown may proceed. In an opinion released …

Viewpoint: 4 Things to Get Right with Digital Claims Processing

It’s 2030, and you’re driving to work on a miserable winter’s morning. So your phone sends you an alert to suggest a route that avoids icy roads. Even so, you suffer a fender bender. Sensors note the accident, and send …

Unusual Policy Language Allows NY Botanical Garden’s COVID Claim to Proceed

A New York appellate court on Tuesday handed a rare policyholder win to the New York Botanical Garden for income lost during COVID-19 shutdowns, noting that the disputed policy language did not require physical damage. The Botanical Garden, a well-known …

UK Pubs Giant Takes on Insurer Trio in $1.2B COVID Trial

LONDON –– Britain’s biggest pubs group Stonegate, which is suing Zurich Insurance and two peers for 1 billion pounds ($1.2 billion) over lockdown losses, battled the COVID-19 pandemic “day by day, venue by venue,” a London trial heard on Monday. …