Fla. Reception Venue Loses Bid for COVID-19 Coverage in Federal Court

MIAMI — The owner of a Florida reception venue is not entitled to coverage for COVID-19 business interruption losses because it did not sustain “direct physical loss of or damage to” its insured property, a federal judge has ruled.

In a Sept. 1 order, Judge Raag Singhal of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida agreed with other courts that loss of use of property for its intended purpose does not constitute “direct physical loss.”

“Plaintiffs’ argument that the Subject Property did not remain open or accessible to the public because the presence of COVID-19 makes an …