Charlie Gitto Jr., a well-known St. Louis-area restauranteur, has filed a legal backlash against SECURA Insurance for alleged abusive conduct related to a contested claim. His restaurant, “Charlie Gitto’s From the Hill,” experienced significant damage from a heavy downpour, but Gitto’s efforts to recover from his insurers met with denial. The restaurant was eventually forced to close as a result, as per the complaint filed in the St. Louis County Circuit Court on December 18.
Lashing out at the insurance company, Gitto stated, “They’re a billion-dollar operation; I’m a small business,” in an interview with Law.com. He expressed feelings of financial humiliation often experienced by average business owners against large conglomerates, but remains hopeful thanks to his legal team, Jim [Monafo] and Husch Blackwell.
The overarching allegation here is SECURA’s supposed use of post-claim retaliation. The restaurateur’s legal counsel asserts that SECURA, after initially denying the insurance claim unlawfully, further accused Gitto of fraud and defamation following his public discussion about the dispute.