N.J. Wedding Venue Not Covered for COVID-19 Losses, N.J. Appellate Panel Affirms

TRENTON, N.J. — A New Jersey appellate court has ruled that a wedding venue cannot recover COVID-19-related business interruption losses and expenses from Hartford Insurance Co. because it did not sustain "direct physical loss of or damage to" covered property.

On June 21, a panel of the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division ruled that the venue failed to allege “a detrimental physical alteration of some kind” or “a physical loss of the insured property.”

Rockleigh Country Club LLC, which owns and operates a wedding venue, suspended operations in March 2020 after New Jersey Governor Philip D. Murphy issued a …