Working From Home Raises Data Security Concerns

The coronavirus pandemic has led to many changes in the workplace, with the broad move to working from home being one of the most dramatic. With that shift away from the workplace, however, has come a breakdown in standard practices, leading to some employees relying on non-standard solutions for their workplace problems. In some cases, this has caused data security issues that can potentially impact how businesses protect their sensitive information. Continue reading “Working From Home Raises Data Security Concerns”

Data Scraping Lawsuit Appeals to Supreme Court

A federal lawsuit is set to go before the Supreme Court that will deal with the controversial practice known as “data scraping.” This practice, used by some companies to collect data on consumers for research and marketing purposes, has become controversial due to concerns over privacy violations. However, this lawsuit goes one step further, alleging that data scraping may be a violation of federal law, potentially introducing liability for any company that engages in data scraping. Continue reading “Data Scraping Lawsuit Appeals to Supreme Court”

FCRA Preempts State Credit Reporting Laws, Says Federal Court

A federal district court has ruled that the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) preempts state credit reporting laws, curtailing the ability of state governments to place restrictions or regulations on credit reporting practices. In effect, this means that states can only put laws about credit reporting into place when they do not conflict with the FCRA. This decision has raised concerns among privacy advocates and labor advocates, who are concerned about how credit reporting might be abused. Continue reading “FCRA Preempts State Credit Reporting Laws, Says Federal Court”

FTC Enters Into Settlement With Zoom Over Unfair Practices

The major video conferencing platform, Zoom, has agreed to enter into a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over allegedly deceptive claims related to its security practices. The company has, for months, touted its supposedly superior security features to attract people to its platform. With this settlement, however, the company must significantly revise both its advertising and its security practices to better comply with FTC standards. Continue reading “FTC Enters Into Settlement With Zoom Over Unfair Practices”

Businesses Brace for Another Possible Quarantine

Few states were hit as hard, or as early, by the coronavirus pandemic as New York. As such, it was also one of the first states to enact a quarantine, and one of the first to get the disease under a measure of control. As infections have begun to skyrocket and more people are being hospitalized for COVID-19, businesses are now readying themselves for another possible quarantine. Continue reading “Businesses Brace for Another Possible Quarantine”

How a Order of Protection Can Help You

Dealing with domestic violence is never easy. Even if you know you are in a dangerous situation, you may feel like you are not in a position to do anything about it, or you may be afraid that acting could result in you getting hurt. But if you or a loved one has been the victim of domestic violence, getting an order of protection might be a useful way to keep yourself and your loved ones safe from harm. Continue reading “How a Order of Protection Can Help You”

Five Potential Issues That Can Arise During Estate Administration

Losing a loved one is already difficult enough. But if you have been named as the executor of the estate, dealing with your grief and organizing a funeral is only the beginning. You also need to administer the estate, which means going through the process of verifying the will and distributing it as appropriate. Here are five potential issues that may arise during the process of estate administration: Continue reading “Five Potential Issues That Can Arise During Estate Administration”

Moratorium on Residential Evictions Extended by Cuomo Until New Year

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has extended the state’s moratorium on residential evictions until January 1, 2021. This means that landlords will not be able to evict tenants who have not paid their rent until at least the beginning of the new year. This is a boon for thousands of tenants who were facing eviction, but for landlords, it means it will be at least another three months before they can remove the delinquent tenants and replace them with people who can actually pay rent. Continue reading “Moratorium on Residential Evictions Extended by Cuomo Until New Year”

Divorce: Seven Common Issues that Can Come Up

Getting divorced is always a harrowing prospect. Even at the best of times, there are a number of personal and financial issues you will need to work out before you get through the divorce process. Before you get into a divorce, it can be best to understand what you are getting into. Here are seven common issues that come up in a divorce proceeding: Continue reading “Divorce: Seven Common Issues that Can Come Up”

What is Direct Physical Loss in Business Interruption Insurance?

If you have business interruption insurance, then it is possible you may have looked at the provisions of your insurance contract and seen the phrase “direct physical loss.” This seemingly simple phrase can have a significant impact on whether you are able to collect on your policy, especially if you were forced to shut down due to COVID-19. So what is direct physical loss, and how can that affect your business interruption insurance claim?

What is Business Interruption Insurance?

            Business interruption insurance is a kind of insurance that covers losses you suffer due to being forced to temporarily close your business. Rather than dealing with the direct physical costs, though, it addresses lost income due to being unable to operate your business as normal. For example, it might not cover water or mold damage you suffered in a flood, but it would cover your lost income for the time it took for the damage to be repaired.

How Do I Get Business Interruption Insurance?

There are two primary ways for a business owner to get business interruption insurance. The first is to specifically purchase a business interruption insurance policy from an insurer that offers it. The second is to have a business interruption clause as part of a general business insurance contract. With this second type of insurance, because many business owners may have business interruption insurance already and not know it. You should review your general business insurance policy. It’s always a good idea to know what you are and are not covered for.

Defining Direct Physical Loss

Many business interruption insurance contracts only cover business interruptions caused by “direct physical loss” to the business. Generally speaking, this has been interpreted by the courts to mean disasters that caused direct harm to the physical property of the business. For example, damage caused by a natural disaster like a fire, flood, or earthquake might qualify. So would damage caused by burglars, rioters, or vandals.

The Coronavirus Conundrum

            One of the primary issues going through the courts right now is the issue of whether business interruptions caused by the coronavirus qualify as “direct physical loss.” The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has devastated businesses across the country, and New York was particularly hard-hit early in the pandemic. Businesses that lost income due to the COVID-19 quarantine have been looking to business interruption insurance to cover their losses, with mixed results.

Some courts have adopted a more general definition of the term and have been willing to expand the definition from its traditional boundaries to include coronavirus-related closures. Other courts, however, have kept to a strict definition of direct physical loss, resulting in COVID-19 claims being denied outright. As it stands, the issue remains unsettled law, both in New York and across the country.

Finding a Way Past Direct Physical Loss

Even if you cannot get a court to agree that coronavirus-related losses count as a direct physical loss, you may have other avenues open to you to recover under business interruption insurance. For example, if your contract has “civil authority” coverage, you may be able to get payment due to being forced to close by the government. Alternately, you may have a clause in your contract that covers closures due to illness or infectious disease. However, you cannot be certain until you have consulted with an attorney.

If you are a business owner with a business interruption insurance plan, and you want to recover for losses suffered due to the coronavirus pandemic, you should seek out a business law attorney with experience in the field. The business law attorneys at Blodnick, Fazio & Clark are skilled and knowledgeable in the areas of business law and commercial transactions.  With offices conveniently located in Garden City, Nassau County, and Babylon, Suffolk County, the firm provides high-quality legal care at reasonable prices. If you require legal assistance concerning business startups, formation, corporate acquisitions and mergers, corporate restructuring, or another business matter, call (516) 280-7105 or fill out our contact form for a free consultation.

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