The Los Angeles Lakers got a procedural win in their fight to secure insurance coverage for the losses the team experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic’s business shutdowns -- a development that some believe could set a precedent for similar cases.

‘This ruling will have an impact on cases involving restaurants and hotels, venues, bars, goods and services and places where people congregate,’ said Doug Rawles, a litigation partner at Reed Smith.

‘It’s still an evolving landscape (as of now), so this could have a fairly significant impact, depending on which way the Ninth Circuit rules and how this case comes out.’

The amount of money the team is seeking in insurance claims has not been disclosed. The Lakers, their representatives nor the representatives of the defendant, Chubb subsidiary Federal Insurance Co., responded to requests for comment.