St. Louis Restaurant Owners Cannot Recoup COVID-19 Losses from Insurer, Judge Rules

ST. LOUIS — The owners of a group of St. Louis Italian restaurants cannot recoup COVID-19-related business interruption losses from The Cincinnati Insurance Co. because they did not sustain “direct physical loss” or “physical damage” to the insured properties, a federal judge has ruled.

In a May 21 order, Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri ruled that the properties were not physically altered by government closure orders or the COVID-19 virus itself, as required by Missouri case law.

MMMMM DP LLC, MMMMM DP3 and Via Vina Enoteca own the Del Pietro …