San Francisco’s John’s Grill and The Hartford Have Settled Their Hard-Fought Covid-19 Lawsuit
San Francisco’s iconic restaurant, John’s Grill, has reached a settlement with The Hartford and its affiliate Sentinel Insurance Company over their decision to deny insurance coverage for business interruptions during the Covid-19 pandemic. With courts across the country dismissing business interruption cases, this settlement represents an extraordinary exception under California law.
In the early days of the pandemic, as restaurants faced financial ruin from mandatory closures, many insurers issued blanket denials of claims for business interruption losses. When his claims were denied, John’s Grill’s owner, John Konstin sought out the law firm Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, which filed a lawsuit in April 2020. Two-and-a-half years later, John’s Grill is one of the few policyholders to obtain a settlement from a major insurer in Covid-19 business interruption litigation. The terms of the settlement are confidential.