Buffalo, N.Y., Hotels Sue Hartford Fire for COVID-19 ‘Property Damage’

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Buffalo, N.Y., restaurant and two hotels have sued Hartford Fire Insurance Co., seeking coverage for losses they sustained when they were forced to cease or restrict operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related government stay-at-home orders.

In a June 2 complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, Salvatore’s Italian Gardens Inc., d/b/a Italian Prime Restaurant at Salvatore’s, The Delavan Hotel LLC, d/b/a The Delavan, and Garden Place Inc. d/b/a Salvatore’s Garden Place Hotel say they sustained direct physical damage to their properties, triggering coverage under their policy.

“The …