Curry Law Group is offering to review commercial liability insurance policies free of charge to businesses.
Curry Law Group, in Tampa, is already working with Jeannie Pierola, chef and owner of Tampa restaurants Counter Culture, Edison and Swigamajig after being denied by her insurance company for her business interruption claim.
Pierola was forced to close all three restaurants on March 18, but reservations started going down in early March, due to the pandemic. The restaurants started a pop-up from the Counter Culture location in mid-April, but it is a far cry from her regular revenue, a statement said.
On April 2, she made a business interruption insurance claim and was denied, with her insurance company saying that viruses were not covered under her policy.
“A lot of people are in this same position, and the insurance agencies are giving blanket denials when the loss of business is from a government shutdown to protect the public’s health,” Pierola said in a statement. “The restaurant industry is a huge pillar of American life. In a pandemic like this, we need everyone to join forces.”
Curry Law Group is stating that COVID-19 causes physical property damage and business income loss due to the virus’s proclivity to attach to surfaces for prolonged periods of time, thereby creating a dangerous physical condition on business premises.
“Businesses have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Clif Curry, owner and founder of Curry Law Group, said in the statement. “In a situation like this, after paying premiums for years, they look to their insurance company for help—but the insurance companies go straight into denying claims.”
Curry Law Group attorneys Robin Trupp and Daniel King are working with Curry to represent Pierola and others facing COVID-19 business interruption to prepare their cases against the insurance companies.
