flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

AECOM sues insurance carrier for payment of COVID-19 property damage claims

Codes and Standards

AECOM sues insurance carrier for payment of COVID-19 property damage claims

Claims ‘all-risk policies’ should have included millions of dollars of losses due to virus.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | January 27, 2021

Courtesy Pixabay

AECOM is suing Zurich American Insurance alleging that the carrier’s “all-risk” policies should include claims for losses due to the impact of COVID-19.

The design firm alleges that Zurich refused to pay coronavirus-related claims when such coverage was not specifically excluded in AECOM's “all-risk” property insurance policies. AECOM claims its COVID-19 damages run in the millions of dollars.

According to AECOM’s suit, the insurance industry has a standard virus and bacteria exclusion form, but Zurich did not include it in AECOM policies. Some of the losses AECOM claims Zurich will not cover are for installation of physical barriers to isolate aerosolized droplets produced by those who are infected by the disease.

AECOM also said in the court filing that Zurich knew or should have known that many courts have determined that the presence of a hazardous substance in a property, including within its airspace, is considered property damage. Further, there may be direct physical loss to the property even without any physical damage. The lawsuit also noted that AECOM has offices, operations, and projects around the world where more than 500 AECOM employees have tested positive for COVID-19.

Related Stories

| Jan 23, 2014

About 1,500 concrete buildings in Los Angeles found vulnerable to earthquakes

Some 1,500 concrete structures built in Los Angeles before 1980 could be vulnerable to earthquakes, according to University of California researchers.

| Jan 23, 2014

Low-slope roofs with PVs tested for wind uplift resistance

Tests showed winds can cause photovoltaic panels to destroy waterproof membranes. 

| Jan 16, 2014

Bio-based materials could transform the future of sustainable building

Recent winners of the Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Challenge include a brick made from bacterial byproducts and insulation created from agricultural waste products.

| Jan 16, 2014

The incandescent light bulb is not dead

Despite misleading media reports, January 1 did not mark a ban on the manufacture or import of 60-watt and 40-watt incandescent bulbs.

| Jan 16, 2014

ASHRAE revised climatic data for building design standards

ASHRAE Standard 169, Climatic Data for Building Design Standards, now includes climatic data for 5,564 locations throughout the world.

| Jan 15, 2014

ConsensusDocs releases updated subcontract for federal work

The new version addresses recent changes in federal contracting.

| Jan 15, 2014

First quarter 2014 LEED rating system addenda now available

There are 71 new LEED Interpretations, including 65 for Homes and Multifamily Midrise.

| Jan 10, 2014

What the states should do to prevent more school shootings

To tell the truth, I didn’t want to write about the terrible events of December 14, 2012, when 20 children and six adults were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. I figured other media would provide ample coverage, and anything we did would look cheap or inappropriate. But two things turned me around.

| Jan 8, 2014

Strengthened sprinkler rules could aid push for mid-rise wood structures in Canada

Strengthened sprinkler regulations proposed for the 2015 National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) could help a movement to allow midrise wood structures.

| Jan 8, 2014

New materials should help boost sustainability in cities by 2020

Newer developments include windows made with nano-crystals that control intense heat penetration while lighting living areas from the outside.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021