"Cincinnati denied Neuro's claim," stated Justice Jennifer Brunner, in her written opinion for the court. "It stated that the general-coverage provision does not cover the claim, because the claim 'does not involve direct, physical loss to property at Neuro's premises caused by a covered cause of loss.'"
In a long-awaited decision, the Ohio Supreme Court has joined many other state and federal courts in concluding that a temporary business closure due to a COVID-19 government shutdown order does not constitute a "direct physical loss" triggering business interruption insurance coverage.
According to the opinion, plaintiff Neuro-Communication Services argued that the company is entitled to recover lost income after COVID-19 shutdown orders forced it to cease almost all operations in the first few weeks of the pandemic. The defendant insurers, Cincinnati Insurance, Cincinnati Casualty, and Cincinnati Indemnity moved to dismiss the suit, or in the alternative, to have the federal court certify a question of state law to the Ohio Supreme Court.
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
