Ohio Beauty Salon Sues Erie Insurance for COVID-19 Business Losses

PITTSBURGH — An Ohio beauty salon has filed a class action against Erie Insurance Property & Casualty Co., seeking coverage for business interruption losses it sustained when lawmakers forced it to close during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a May 27 complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, The Lock Loft LLC contends that it and other policyholders have sustained direct physical loss and damage to property as a result of the pandemic and stay-at-home orders, triggering coverage under the Erie policies.

“State and local governmental authorities, and public health officials around the country, acknowledge …