Several Groups Join in Petition to Create National MDL Docket for COVID-19 Insurance Coverage Lawsuits

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A number of companies have joined in the petition to create a federal MDL docket for claims relating to COVID-19 insurance coverage disputes, but suggesting that the docket be sent to the Northern District of Illinois over the Eastern District of Philadelphia.

In a brief in support of the petition filed on April 21 in the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, several companies explained that many insurers have denied claims for business interruption losses caused by state closure orders, in part, on grounds that a “slowdown of economic activity or a general fear of contamination” does …