Buffalo Hospitality Businesses Lose Bid for COVID-19 Coverage from Hartford

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A New York federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Hartford Fire Insurance Co. by two Buffalo-area hospitality businesses, ruling they are not entitled to coverage under the policy’s Civil Authority provision because they were not barred from accessing their premises.

In a July 7 order, Judge Geoffrey Crawford of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York further held that the plaintiffs are not entitled to coverage under the policy’s Special Business Income coverage because they did not sustain “direct physical loss or direct physical damage” to their property.

Salvatore’s Italian Gardens …