Higher Education COVID-19 Property Insurance Coverage Disputes

Stueve Siegel Hanson is actively working with colleges and universities to evaluate and pursue claims for property damage and business interruption insurance coverage for COVID-19 related losses and damages.

For higher education institutions, complex policy wording and terms will determine what -- if any -- scope of coverage is triggered and determined a recoverable financial loss. The insurance industry has largely indicated that there is little to no coverage available. For the most part, insurers have taken the position that COVID-19 does not cause insured physical loss or damage to property, or that a policy's "contamination" exclusion is broad enough to defeat coverage. In other instances, even insurers with policies that include specific coverage for communicable disease response and interruption have narrowly interpreted those coverage provisions in such a manner to virtually eliminate any possibility of recovering for COVID-19 related losses and damages. Our advice: Don't take at face value what the insurance industry (or your insurer) is saying.

Stueve Siegel Hanson has the experience to lead higher education institutions through the process of evaluating their insurance policies, identifying potential areas of coverage, preparing a claim and pursuing litigation to secure coverage -- all on a results-based, contingency-fee basis.

Why Stueve Siegel Hanson

  • We understand your industry and have specific knowledge about higher education property insurance policies, including those issued by major insurers FM Global (and its subsidiary Factory Mutual Ins. Co.), Zurich American Ins. Co. (and its subsidiary American Guarantee & Liability Ins. Co.), and Lexington Ins. Co., among others. We know their policies and exclusions, and we stand ready to help you navigate their terms, submit a claim and challenge coverage denials.
  • We are the leading law firm pursuing insurance coverage claims in pending litigation on behalf of colleges and universities for COVID-19 related losses and damages.
    • We are representing Rockhurst University and Maryville University, both members of the College and University Risk Management Association ("CURMA"), in a pending lawsuit against Factory Mutual challenging its denial of coverage.
    • We are representing Lindenwood University, a member of the Midwestern Higher Education Compact ("MHEC"), in a pending lawsuit against Zurich challenging its denial of coverage.
    • We are actively working with many colleges and universities to ensure they preserve their legal rights by submitting a claim for coverage under their property insurance policy for COVID-19 related losses and damages, and are prepared to timely file a lawsuit against their insurer to challenge improper denials.
  • We can help assess your situation and explain your options. If you have not yet submitted a claim to your insurer for COVID-19 related losses and damages, we can explain what needs to happen and help prepare the claim. And if you've submitted a claim, but your insurer denied coverage, we can assess that denial and evaluate whether your insurer's denial of coverage is vulnerable to attack.

Contact Patrick Stueve at stueve@stuevesiegel.com or 816.668.3797 today to set up a no-cost, no-obligation assessment of your situation.

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