Fla. Restaurant Owner Says COVID-19, Closure Orders Caused Insurable Damage

TAMPA, Fla. — The owner of two Florida restaurants has sued Scottsdale Insurance Co., contending that business income losses the eateries suffered when they closed in compliance with COVID-19 civil authority orders are covered under their policy.

In a complaint removed to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida on June 18, Edison Kennedy LLC, which owns two Tampa-area restaurants known as “Edison,” says its properties sustained “direct physical loss or direct physical damage,” triggering coverage under the policy.

“The virus is physically impacting public and private property, and physical spaces in cities around the world and …