Feb 2023
It’s been a tough couple of years, but even though the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us, the war is raging on for one company which has just filed a claim against its insurers.
The hospitality industry was one of the worst hit during Covid
According to UKHospitality.org, a membership body that campaigns and lobbies on behalf of the hospitality industry, the sector suffered a massive and devastating £115bn loss during the pandemic.
The same report uncovered stats that revealed losses of 43% and 45 full weeks of sales since March 2020.
Time to claim
It’s led to thousands of businesses leaning on their business interruption insurance - something which exists to pay out in the event that you are unable to continue trading due to an unexpected event.
However, due to the influx of claims during the pandemic, insurers were starting to show reluctance at paying out to businesses that were forced to close when lockdown and social distancing laws came into force. In January 2021, Britain’s Supreme Court ruled in favour of policyholders - and the result was a surge in subsequent lawsuits.
Latest lawsuit
The latest to hit the headlines was the case of Fuller’s pubs, which has filed a lawsuit on 2nd February 2023 against insurance giants Aviva and Liberty Mutual in a dispute over a “business interruption” claim.
Recent similar cases saw Axa forced to pay £4.4m to high-end restaurateur Corbin & King over the closure of eight of its restaurants, including The Wolseley in Mayfair and Colbert in Sloane Square.
According to the Financial Conduct Authority, Insurers have now paid out more than £1bn to companies that closed during the lockdowns.
We can help
If your business is struggling to claim under its business interruption insurance, or you’d like some advice on your company’s rights to business interruption insurance, contact our Commercial Dispute Resolution team at Downs Solicitors to see how we can help.
