Some restaurants in Huntington Beach and Newport Beach are part of a group that are suing Farmers Insurance, alleging the company breached contracts and didn’t compensate them for losses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Jan. 4 includes Black Trumpet Bistro Tapas and Wine Bar and Capone’s Italian Cucina of Huntington Beach, both owned by Chef Dino Ferraro. Newport Beach-based Fly N Fish Oyster Bar and Grill, on the Balboa Peninsula, is also part of the suit, as are Starrs Products of Santa Clarita, Centerpark Cafe of San Diego and NJND LLC, a San Diego restaurant and retail property.

The complaint, filed by three San Diego law firms, seeks unspecified damages and demands a jury trial. A follow-up document, filed Tuesday, states the plaintiff anticipates the case will become part of a civil case involving Farmers COVID-19 business cases.

The suit alleges that denials of insurance claims by Farmers Insurance during the pandemic “leave plaintiffs in dire financial straits — precisely the situation they sought to avoid when they obtained coverage for loss of business income.”

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