The litigation trickle regarding coronavirus coverage issues is turning into a flood as lawsuits seem to be filed every day and in many different jurisdictions. United Policyholders has established a COCID-19 Loss Recovery Advisory Team which included a stellar panel of insurance attorneys including Merlin Law Group attorney Ed Eshoo:

COVID-19 Loss Recovery Advisory Team
John Buchanan, Covington & Burling (DC)
John Ellison, Reed Smith (PA)
Edward Eshoo, Merlin Law Group (IL)
Peter Kochenburger, UConn School of Law (CT)
Lorelie S. Masters, Hunton Andrews Kurth (DC)
Jason Mazer, Cimo Mazer Mark (FL)
Sherilyn Pastor, McCarter & English, (NJ)
Holly Soffer, Kellis Soffer, Counsel to the American Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (PA)

United Policyholders has made an excellent COVID-19 Loss Recovery Help Library. It contains lists of resources for those navigating this dynamic maze of coverage issues involving loss of income from this disaster. The lists of governmental orders, pending legislation, and lawsuits are a valuable resource for anybody attempting to obtain coverage for policyholders.

I would also like to give a shout-out to Hugh Lumpkin for an excellent amicus brief he and his team from Reed Smith filed on behalf of United Policyholders in a case involving extra-contractual damages. The case is pending before the Florida Supreme Court. The brief notes the following about United Policyholders:

UP has been serving Florida residents since 1992 when we helped promote fair claim settlements in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. Our activities in the Sunshine State have included long-term disaster recovery assistance; consumer advocacy related to homeowners’ insurance rates and availability (i.e. depopulating Citizens); promoting preparedness and mitigation; educating and assisting consumers navigating the complicated insurance claims process under wind, flood, and liability policies. State insurance regulators, including the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, academics, and journalists throughout the U.S. routinely engage with UP on issues impacting policyholders. UP’s Executive Director, Amy Bach, Esq., has served as an official consumer representative to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners since 2009.

In furtherance of its mission, UP regularly appears as amicus curiae in courts nationwide to advance the policyholder’s perspective on insurance cases likely to have widespread impact. UP’s amicus brief was cited in the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinion in Humana Inc. v. Forsyth, 525 U.S. 299 (1999).

UP has been actively involved as amicus curiae in Florida courts and submitted briefs in recent cases, including: Travelers Indemnity Co. v. Richard McKenzie & Sons, Inc., Case. No. 18-13172-D (11th Cir. 2018); Harvey v. Geico General Insurance Co., Case No. SC17-85 (Fla. 2017); Escobar v. Tower Hill Signature Insurance Co., Case No. 3D16-1844 (Fla. 3d DCA 2017); Vazquez v. Southern Fidelity Property & Casualty, Inc., Case No. 3D16-915 (Fla. 3d DCA 2016); and Altman Contractors, Inc. v. Crum and Forster Specialty Ins. Co., Case No. SC16-1420 (Fla. 2016). UP seeks to fulfill the classic role of amicus curiae by assisting in a case of general public interest, supplementing the efforts of counsel, and drawing the court’s attention to law that may have escaped consideration.

United Policyholders is an organization that is in the middle of the action, helping policyholders every day in a wide range of activities.

Thought For The Day

Indeed, we’re strongest when the face of America isn’t only a soldier carrying a gun but also a diplomat negotiating peace, a Peace Corps volunteer bringing clean water to a village, or a relief worker stepping off a cargo plane as floodwaters rise.
—Colin Powell