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COVID-19 Relief and Liability Provisions
December 23, 2020
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<p style="text-align: justify;">The latest round of federal COVID-19 relief fails to cover one major sticking point in the negotiations: liability. The GOP spent months attempting to integrate a provision limiting liability for COVID-related lawsuits into the relief package, insisting that a one-year statute of limitations and limited types of permissible claims were the only way to truly protect businesses and other institutions from an inevitable logjam of litigation once the pandemic was safely behind us. But alas, the deal reached only this weekend is completely silent on the issue of liability for COVID-related legal battles. The liability protection provision will surely remain on the table, but it is unclear whether it will actually be integrated into any legislation after the months of gridlock that preceded the most recent bipartisan deal. Going forward, a close eye must be trained on any COVID relief bill or subsequent legislation for any provisions addressing employer, institutional, or business liability for COVID-related damages.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">We will continue to keep you updated as events continue to progress on COVID-related matters.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Thank you to Abby Wilson for her contribution to this post. Please contact <a href="mailto:chayes@wcmlaw.com">Colleen Hayes</a> with any questions.</p>