What Does Business Interruption Mean?
In mid-March 2020, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, America’s businesses were advised to shift to remote work or close much or all of their normal business operations unless deemed essential. Restaurants were ordered to cease all dine-in services and only serve curbside or delivery. Retail and grocery stores reduced hours or closed altogether. Planes fly with 5% loads and hotels are empty. Supply chains have been severely disrupted. Worse for the economy, consumers have been told to stay home and shelter in place. Millions have lost their jobs, decimating demand for products and services. The Coronavirus pandemic has changed much of the workplace, bringing many businesses to their knees. The economic implications will be legion.
We represent small businesses and Fortune 100 companies, sole proprietors and entities traded on public exchanges. We have never represented an insurance company and we never will.
In short, if your entity has a business interruption clause in its insurance policy, you may be able to recover from your carrier. Of course, it is unlikely that your insurer or broker will tell you this. In fact, to-date nearly every claim made for Covid related business interruption losses has so far been denied. Make no mistake, the insurance industry is taking a strong stand against paying these claims. Nevertheless, we believe there is legal precedent for recovery under many policies, even those with so-called “virus exclusions.”
While traditionally business interruption claims have been associated with natural disasters (fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane, tornado, etc), we believe these policies should compensate policy holders for losses due to the Coronavirus pandemic. These are unprecedented times and filing a business interruption claim due to a pandemic is, like the virus, novel. That said, we believe these are important cases that must be heard. While we cannot guarantee success, we can promise you our best.
While prevailing in this litigation is by no means guaranteed, our firm is taking these cases on a contingent basis, meaning our clients do not have to pay us unless we are successful. In short, we do not get paid unless we win. As such, for the business owner, there is little downside and perhaps much to gain by hiring us to attempt to recover under your policy. After all, you have faithfully paid your premiums.
Now is the time for the insurance industry to step up. We believe the U.S. economy and the American dream are causes worth fighting for. If your business was negatively impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic, and you hold a commercial insurance policy with a provision for business interruption losses, contact us today.
About the Firm
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Young & Partners’ practice is national in scope, as we have trusted co-counsel relationships with leading law firms in all fifty states.
Founding Partner Tom Young has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for victims of various major disasters over the past 20 years, including the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the 2015 Volkswagen “dieselgate” emissions scandal, recent devastating hurricanes along the East Coast, and the ongoing nationwide opioid epidemic. Young holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Economics and a Juris Doctor, with Honors, from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. While there, Young was one of the first students awarded a Certificate in Environmental & Land Use Law. Young’s practice includes educating and assisting consumers, businesses, nonprofit organizations and government entities in understanding their rights as they pertain to losses due to negligence or disaster, in both state and federal court. Importantly, we only represent plaintiffs, not defendants, and never insurance companies.
Our practice is currently focused on assisting those suffering injuries caused by defective hernia mesh products; farmers, groundskeepers, landscapers, gardeners, pesticide applicators and others who allege they developed Non-Hodgkin lymphoma after frequent use of the weedkiller Roundup; victims of cancer possibly associated with the long term use of the heartburn drug Zantac; local and state governments and water authorities facing the high cost of remediating the contamination of PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals;” hospitals, cities and counties involved in opioid litigation; victims of sexual abuse; and litigating insurance losses associated with Covid-19 business interuption. We also represent plaintiffs in matters involving motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, slip-and-fall, aviation and maritime accidents, wrongful death, and other personal injury cases.
Young is a member of the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, the Golden Key International Honor Society, the Florida Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States, the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C., the Florida Justice Association, and the American Association for Justice (formerly the Academy of Trial Lawyers of America). Young was the 2012-2018 President of the Civil Justice Foundation and a former AAJ state delegate.