N.J. Law Firm Loses Bid for COVID-19 Business Interruption Coverage

CAMDEN, N.J. — A New Jersey federal judge has dismissed a law firm’s COVID-19 coverage action against Sentinel Insurance Co., rejecting its argument that the policy’s virus exclusion does not apply to its business interruption losses because its offices were never contaminated by a virus.

In an April 14 order, Judge Renee Marie Bumb of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey ruled that the exclusion clearly applies to Stern & Eisenberg P.C.’s losses because they originate from the COVID-19 virus.

“Any losses that Plaintiff allegedly suffered were caused either by COVID-19 itself (a virus) or by …