George Washington University Loses Bid for COVID-19 Coverage

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal judge has dismissed The George Washington University (GWU)’s COVID-19 coverage action against Factory Mutual Insurance Co., ruling that neither government orders issued in response to the pandemic nor the virus itself causes “physical loss or damage” to property.

In a Sept. 6 order, Judge Dabney L. Friedrich of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia explained that mere loss of use does not trigger coverage, and holding otherwise would eliminate the term “physical” from the policy.

GWU maintains three campuses in Washington, D.C., and Ashburn, Va. Beginning in March 2020, the university’s operations …