Philly Dentist Says COVID-19 Closure Orders Caused ‘Direct Physical Loss or Damage’

PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia periodontist practice has sued Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. in federal court, accusing it of breaching an all risk commercial policy by denying its claim for COVID-19-related business interruption losses.

In an April 27 complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Laudenbach Periodontics and Dental Implants Ltd. says it suffered “direct physical loss or damage” as defined by the policy, adding that “loss of use of property constitutes physical loss or damage.”

On March 27, Liberty Mutual denied the practice’s claim for business losses, asserting that “the order that was issued …