His only small comfort during the worst of the downturn was the belief his insurance policy covered him for this exact kind of revenue shock.
His insurer believed otherwise.
Australian businesses fight insurance industry for payouts over coronavirus revenue losses
Australian businesses fight insurance industry for payouts over coronavirus revenue losses
ABC Investigations / By Pat McGrath and Kyle Taylor
Detlef Haupt in his Sydney cafe.(ABC News: David Maguire)
Detlef Haupt survived a near-knockout blow when the COVID-19 economic crash drained his cafe of customers and put the future of his 15-year-old business on the line.
Key points:
Australians are battling insurers to claim pay-outs they say they are entitled to as a result of lost revenue due to COVID-19
Some insurers are relying on fine print in policies that reference legislation that no longer exists
The insurance industry has defended itself, saying that paying out such claims would cost $10 billion