By Max H. Stern and Holden Benon
Yesterday, america Courtroom of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a succinct however well-reasoned resolution that there was no protection for a Las Vegas Lodge & On line casino’s COVID-19-related enterprise interruption loss underneath the protection offered by an “all dangers” insurance coverage coverage. See Circus Circus LV, LP v. AIG Specialty Ins. Co., No. 21-15367 (ninth Cir. Apr. 15, 2022). 
Despite the fact that Nevada legislation ruled the evaluation, the court docket’s written opinion leaned closely on appellate authorities that utilized California legislation (specifically, the California Courtroom of Enchantment’s Inns-by-the-Sea resolution and the Ninth Circuit’s Mudpie resolution). The Circus Circus court docket adopted the Inns-by-the-Sea causation evaluation in holding that, regardless of Circus Circus’ allegation that the coronavirus was current on its premises, it did not determine any direct bodily injury to its property attributable to the virus which led to the On line casino’s closure. “Slightly,” the court docket noticed, “the allegations surrounding Circus Circus’s closure are primarily based on the native Keep at Residence Orders.” Citing Mudpie, the court docket additionally held that Circus Circus did not allege it suffered a direct bodily lack of its property, reasoning the loss have to be resulting from a “distinct demonstrable, bodily alteration of the property.”
The Circus Circus resolution provides to the road of appellate authorities which have adhered to the identical reasoning articulated within the preliminary COVID-19 appellate choices that got here down final yr. Within the circumstances which might be nonetheless at the moment pending, the percentages actually appear to favor the carriers.
