Multidistrict COVID Business Interruption Case Against Society Insurance Advances A federal judge in Chicago has denied Society Insurance’s motions to dismiss three “bellwether” lawsuits filed by hospitality businesses that were denied coverage for revenue lost because of COVID-19 public health orders. U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang, who was assigned a consolidated case by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, rejected an argument that government orders that restricted the use of commercial property could not be considered a direct physical loss covered by the policies. None of the three insurance policies contained a virus exclusion, as most commercial property policies do.