MVA Litigation

As home to the second largest banking center in the country, North Carolina has stepped onto the leading edge of innovation in the FinTech and InsurTech arenas. Late last year, Governor Cooper signed into law H624, the North Carolina Regulatory Sandbox Act of 2021  (“Sandbox Act”), which established what is known as a “regulatory sandbox” program to encourage innovation in the development of FinTech and InsurTech products to be offered to consumers. The regulatory sandbox program provides a modified regulatory environment in which companies can have licensing or other ...

When state and local governments began issuing shutdown and stay-at-home orders a little over a year ago, it was difficult to fathom how long businesses would be struggling to operate within the boundaries of the unprecedented restrictions. The economy has been hit hard across the board, with the U.S. travel and hospitality industry suffering an estimated $1.1 trillion in direct and indirect losses in 2020, hospitals and healthcare systems losing at least $323 billion in 2020, the NCAA and the four major U.S. sports leagues losing at least $14.1 billion, many major retailers

The losses sustained by American businesses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic will be measured at a level that may never be seen again in our lifetime. On July 30th, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis issued an advance estimate stating that the nation’s real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased at an annual rate of 32.9% in Q2 2020, which reportedly is the worst recorded drop in American history. It was estimated early on that “business interruption losses from the coronavirus just for small businesses in the U.S. could be between $220-$383 billion per month,” resulting ...

After months of discussion and drafting, H.R.7011, the Pandemic Risk Insurance Act of 2020 (PRIA) was introduced by Representative Carolyn Maloney and twenty co-sponsors on May 26, 2020. If passed as currently drafted, the Act would mandate that insurance companies offering business interruption insurance policies must cover losses incurred due to pandemics and it would establish a Pandemic Risk Reinsurance Program (PRRP) within the Department of the Treasury under which private insurance companies and the federal government would share the responsibility to pay claims for ...

For the last two months, the doors of millions of businesses and homes have been shuttered due to government mandated stay at home orders. Through it all, the individuals who have served on the front lines and in essential businesses have been required to risk exposure to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) to continue to serve and keep those businesses running. Several North Carolina Representatives recently introduced H.B. 1057 - WC/COVID-19 Front Line Coverage/Funds, a bill that would amend North Carolina’s workers' compensation law by creating a rebuttable presumption that ...

A few weeks ago we were discussing what was believed to be the first COVID-19 lawsuit related to business interruption insurance and a handful of state legislative efforts to redefine the scope of coverage for businesses impacted by COVID-19. Now, dozens of lawsuits have been filed across the nation, including several class actions, and legislation is circulating at the federal (and international) level proposing to provide a backstop to private insurers who pay out to policy holders. The impact of COVID-19 shutdowns on businesses is being felt wide and deep. The Risk & Insurance ...

In just a few weeks, we have gone from discussing what was believed to be the first COVID-19 lawsuit related to business interruption insurance and a handful of state legislative efforts to redefine the scope of coverage for businesses impacted by COVID-19 to dozens of lawsuits filed across the nation, including several class actions, and legislation circulating at the federal (and international) level proposing to provide a backstop to private insurers who pay out to policy holders. The impact of COVID-19 shutdowns on businesses is being felt wide and deep. The Risk & Insurance ...

One thing, among many, that enduring the COVID-19 crisis is reminding us of is that the resilience of the human spirit is remarkable. Amidst calls for more personal protective equipment for the dedicated healthcare workers on the front lines and more ventilators for vulnerable patients fighting for their lives, company after company (and individuals) have responded by retooling their operations to manufacture the items needed to support the herculean effort to treat those infected and to stay ahead of and flatten the curve of this pandemic. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ...

The Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has elicited extraordinary suppression and mitigation measures from all levels of government in the U.S. and around the world. It is difficult to fathom the extent to which the economy, global and domestic travel, and life as we knew it have been disrupted in the span of only a few weeks. Lawmakers have been in the difficult position of having to weigh the public health implications of their policy decisions against the economic impact on businesses and individuals. At all levels, our governments have been taking steps to address mitigation of ...

It is an understatement to say that the foothold the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has gained in the U.S. and resulting government mandates have developed at a rapid pace. Two weeks ago, companies were open for business, but were well advised to consider cancelling planned events and reviewing their contracts and insurance policies to determine coverage for potential losses. Given the travel advisories issued by the government and trepidation of individuals to travel or gather in the midst of the rising number of COVID-19 cases, cancellation of a major event may have been the ...