Varanese sues Beshear

Edited as original post based on inaccurate reporting.

[Robin Garr]

Yeah, I think Varenese is going to take a hit from an angry public. I started to say "Stupid never wins," but then I remembered.

From courier journal article.

“Varanese is also suing its insurance company, Pennsylvania-based Erie Insurance Exchange, for denying coverage to the restaurant for its lost business.

The lawsuit alleges that Erie denied to pay claims because the business closing order did not occur as a result of property damage. Varanese contends that "there was evidence of property damage, as the presence of the virus in the air and on surfaces may constitute property damage" and is asking a judge to rule on the order.”

Well, I’m done with that place, as well as River House. I doubt I will be the only one. Hole...shovel...

Well, I’m done with that place, as well as River House. I doubt I will be the only one. Hole...shovel...

+1

and another "+1" over here.

Are they suing Beshear/KY to buttress their case against the insurance company? That would make some legal sense.

Next up, Beerancheese sues the city of Cincinnati for sending flood water down the Ohio, flooding his overpriced Kingfish wannabe restaurant.

Well, I’m done with that place, as well as River House. I doubt I will be the only one. Hole...shovel...

same here. I understand the insurance co for business interruption insurance but the state makes no sense to me.

I'm done with Varanese also.

And that's a shame - we really liked eating at the bar, listening to the live music, and the pleasant vibe. Always found Chef John and his staff very engaging and personable.

Maybe as was mentioned above the lawsuit is all about getting the insurance company to pay for the lost business, but that is immaterial to me.

There are plenty of other great spots on Frankfort Avenue that are doing things the right way (Irish Rover and El Mundo, to name only two). Those are the places that will get my money.

I was done a few years ago after I watched Varanase and his folks fall all over Mitch McConnell at the table next to us. They pulled our server from our table mid-meal to work his. Whatever.

It’s interesting that folks who are so anti-government, anti-handout, pull yourself up by your bootstraps kind of people think the government should foot the bill here. Would he have forced his staff to work through the pandemic? Yikes.

Suing the insurance company is one thing, I can see that. However, who does he think REALLY pays for the state’s portion of the settlement if he wins? Taxpayers pay for it. Folks who could never afford to eat at his restaurants will be forced to chip in. Why not just straight up ask his loyal customers for the money? Oh wait, they don’t believe in “handouts.”

We dined at River House on a regular basis and occasionally at Varanese. No more. We will take our business to restaurants that actually have a sense of community and social responsibility.

Bye Felicia


Edit; As for my original reason for this post, I stand corrected due to inaccurate reporting. However, I did not know that Chef Varanese opposed the minimum wage ordinance. Based on that, my original post is just as applicable.

Are they suing Beshear/KY to buttress their case against the insurance company? That would make some legal sense.

Usually, if you're doing that, you say something about the governmental entities being indispensable parties and don't go for their jugular. Haven't read the suit, so I can't say whether that was done here.

The litigation surrounding exclusions for communicable diseases which are commonly found in Commercial General Liability policies is going to be interesting to watch.

I was (am?) plenty upset, haven’t read the suit, but just saw a statement from Varanese himself, and saw the the CJ changed the wording of their story. Love some legal interpretation of this....I’ve been upset with him since his stand against minimum wage reform, but I don’t want to be unjust...

*********""
His response:

Sadly the media has misrepresented us. We have filed a statement of clarification request. We in no way are suing the state to recover money. We are suing our insurance company for failing to honor our loss of business claim. They are stating we did not have to shut down and comply. We could have stayed open. But we did shut down and respectfully honored our government. The state officials are only named because they can help us prove our claim. We are not suing the commonwealth or any government officials for monetary damage. We are doing what we can to protect our business. We paid our insurance to protect us from loss of business but now they want to claim we never had to close. The media misrepresented the lawsuit. We have asked them to clarify the statement.

Thanks for the update, Paul. That sounds more reasonable.
I typically wait to comment on things like this; my knee jerk reaction here reinforces that wisdom.