In whats believed to be a first in the U.S., a French Quarter restaurant is suing Lloyds of London, hoping a judge will order the U.K. based insurance market to cover losses caused by government-ordered closures due to the coronavirus.
Oceana Grill filed suit against Lloyds of London in Orleans Parish Civil District Court on Monday, seeking a declaratory judgment to proactively force its insurance carrier to pay for losses from a pandemic.
The restaurants attorney, prominent policyholder advocate John Houghtaling, said the policy with Lloyds clearly kicks in if there is damage to property that forces a closure.
“Our hope is that we can confirm the obligations of the insurance companies and this could affect businesses not just in Louisiana, this can affect businesses across America,” said Houghtaling, who notably took on insurance companies that refused to pay thousands of Hurricane Sandy claims and started a nonprofit American Policyholder Association.