Virus Exclusion Bars COVID-19 Coverage for N.C. Restaurants, Federal Judge Rules

GREENSBORO, N.C. — The owners of several Greensboro, N.C., restaurants have lost their bid for coverage of business interruption losses they sustained when the NCAA and ACC college basketball tournaments were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a Nov. 30 order, Judge Catherine Eagles of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina ruled that the policies’ virus exclusions bar coverage.

The restaurant owners demanded coverage for losses they sustained when the tournaments set for March at the Greensboro Coliseum were canceled and when COVID-19 civil authority orders required them to close their doors to dine-in …