Some COVID-19 Travel Insurance Claims Against Generali Sent to Arbitration

NEW YORK — The New York federal judge overseeing actions accusing Assicurazioni Generali Group S.p.A of breaching vacation rental insurance policies by denying policyholders’ claims following the COVID-19-related cancellation of their trips has ordered arbitration of certain plaintiffs’ claims.

In a Dec. 21 order, Judge John G. Koeltl of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York found the plaintiffs who purchased their trips online through VRBO.com are subject to the site’s arbitration clause, which provided that Generali was a beneficiary of the clause.

The putative class actions were filed by consumers who bought travel insurance from …