Chef Matthew Kelly is one of the few restaurant owners who fought property insurers because of restrictions on the business pandemic and won.
Its establishments are part of a group of restaurants that a North Carolina state court supported this fall. The insurer appealed the decision, which concluded that the claimants were entitled to payments under business interruption coverage.
“I am excited that we have made it this far, but this excitement and victory does not translate into relief until the work is done,” said Kelly.
Cases like Kelly’s keep alive the hope that some small businesses can receive insurance money to help them recover from government-ordered shutdowns.
In hundreds of lawsuits across the country, most small businesses have sued their property insurers for refusing to pay pandemic “business interruption” claims. Many insurers say that their policies contain clear language, excluding claims related to viruses, while most complaints also did not meet their policy criteria.