The coronavirus outbreak has spawned lawsuits around the U.S., including mass torts and class actions. (Shutterstock) The coronavirus outbreak has spawned lawsuits around the U.S., including mass torts and class actions. (Shutterstock)

We're now moving into the ninth week of lockdown, which began for most states in the middle of March. The first COVID-19 case in the United States was diagnosed on January 20th, with the first death reportedly occurring on February 6th.

Now, in the middle of May, lawsuits are proliferating. The first insurance coverage suit, Cajun Conti, LLC v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's, London, was filed on March 20, in Louisiana, where a restaurant sought coverage under a first-party property policy for future business losses due to government orders in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Several other insurance coverage lawsuits have been filed, the vast majority with business interruption, or the virus exclusion as the main points of controversy.

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