Ohio Pizza Restaurant Not Entitled to COVID-19 Coverage, Federal Judge Rules

CLEVELAND — The owner of an Ohio pizza restaurant cannot collect COVID-19 business interruption coverage from Acuity Insurance Co. because it failed to plead “direct physical loss of, or damage to, property” as required by the policy, a federal judge has ruled.

In a Dec. 21 order, Judge Pamela Barker of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio further ruled that Santo’s Italian Café LLC d/b/a Santosuossos Pizza Pasta Vino’s losses fall within the policy’s virus exclusion.

Santo’s, which operates a restaurant and bar in Medina, Ohio, was forced to cease dine-in operations in compliance with shutdown …