Miss. Pizza Restaurant Says COVID-19 Closure Orders Caused Insured Losses

ABERDEEN, Miss. — A Mississippi pizza restaurant has sued Tri-State Insurance Company of Minnesota in an effort to recoup business losses it sustained when civil orders forced it to suspend dine-in operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a complaint removed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi on June 24, M.B.S. Tupelo, LLC dba Old Venice Pizza Company says its covered property sustained “direct physical loss or damage” as a result of the civil authority orders, causing the restaurant to lose income and incur extra expenses.

Tri-State denied Old Venice’s claim, relying upon the policy’s exclusion …