pandemic News

Viewpoint: Higher Repair Costs, Supply Line Delays Drive Business Interruption Claims

The aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic have hit businesses hard, with inflation, supply chain disruptions, and increasing downtime. Just as we saw how ill-prepared our healthcare system was for the global outbreak, so was our economy, and our supply and …

Calif. Appellate Ct. Revives Suit Seeking Coverage for Income Lost During COVID Shutdown

A California appellate court ruled again Monday that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can cause direct physical loss or damage to property, notching a rare policyholder for a real estate business seeking coverage for business income lost because of the COVID-19 pandemic. …

WCRI: Inflation Not a Big Deal for Workers’ Comp, Yet

While fast-rising prices in the past year drove up claim costs for auto and property insurers, inflation has been a more ho-hum affair for the workers’ compensation line and health care in general, according to a new report by the …

California Supreme Court, Warning of Litigation ‘Deluge,’ Rejects Take-Home COVID Claims

An employer owed no duty of care to the wife of an employee who was hospitalized after contracting COVID-19 that was carried home from the workplace by her husband, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday. In a unanimous decision, the …

Workers’ Comp and Mental Health: Panel Examines Why Worker Wellbeing Matters

American workers are struggling. Employee stress has reached record highs. Symptoms and formal diagnoses of mental illnesses like anxiety, depression and PTSD are rising. Substance abuse disorders are up, too – as are suicide rates in some demographics. Understanding how …

N.H. Supreme Court Rejects Cat Urine Analogy for COVID Claim

The New Hampshire Supreme Court has overturned a trial court that had found for a group of 23 hotels claiming they were entitled to insurance payments for business interruption losses caused by contamination of their properties by COVID-19. Agreeing with …

LexisNexis: Auto Claim Severity Up 35% over Pre-Pandemic Rates

Claim severity for both bodily injury and property damage increased by 35% since 2019, while collision claim severity has jumped 40%, LexisNexis Risk Solutions says in a new report. The data broker’s 2023 U.S. Auto Insurance Trends report says the …

Viewpoint: N.J. Medical Society Manufactures a Scientific Dispute

A recent Law 360 article1 highlights the Medical Society of New Jersey’s (“Society,” or “MSNJ”) arguments in two COVID-19 business interruption cases, offered as amicus or “friend of the court” submissions designed to purportedly allow a complete presentation of the …

8th Circuit: COVID Stay-at-Home Orders Did Not ‘Quarantine’ Skiers

Government orders that restricted access to non-essential businesses during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic were not “quarantines” that require a travel insurer to reimburse policyholders who did not get full use of their ski passes, a panel of …

Long COVID: Could Mono Virus or Fat Cells Be Playing Roles?

A British historian, an Italian archaeologist and an American preschool teacher have never met in person, but they share a prominent pandemic bond. Plagued by eerily similar symptoms, the three women are credited with describing, naming and helping bring long …