Ohio Restaurants Sue Insurance Companies For Coronavirus Response

CLEVELAND — A group of Northeast Ohio restaurants are suing their insurance company as they seek coverage for their loss of business during the new coronavirus pandemic and government-ordered shutdowns.

The lawsuit was filed against Cincinnati Insurance Company. The lawsuit was filed in the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

The collection of restaurants suing the insurance company include Marble Room, Lockkeepers, and Il Venetian. The restaurants are represented by Rutter & Russin and Spangenberg, Shibley & Liber.

"The hospitality and retail industries collectively employ over 45 million people and represent decades of work by owners and operators who have consistently paid insurance company premiums so that if and when disaster struck, they and their employees would be taken care of. For insurance companies to turn their backs now is wrong," said attorneys Bob Rutter and Nick DiCello in a statement.

The Cincinnati Insurance Company sent an emailed statement to Patch, saying, "We respect the rights of all parties to have their issues heard and resolved in a court of law. For that reason, we don’t comment on ongoing litigation.”