Riots devastate businesses in the rage of the riot and the damage and destruction caused by the rioters. The events in April and May 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland show the results of damage caused by riots and rioters. Riots, like natural disasters, can invite insurance fraud and claims for damages to people who suffered no loss including some who are not even in the city where the riot or disaster took place.

In Baltimore, in trying to make the presentation of claims easy for the victims of the riot, the Department of Insurance asked insurers to forgo police reports. While good for the insureds, it puts the carriers in a bind, as limiting the conditions of the various policies can become an invitation to fraud.

Now it's 2020, and not only are there riots over the murder of an African-American by police, but we're in the middle of a pandemic, where business income losses due to the virus have been denied because virus does not cause physical damage and many policies have a virus exclusion as well.