COVID, Courts, and Other Controversies

Abstract

Personal Injury cases seeking recovery for contracting coronavirus are proliferating. These fall into four categories: direct exposure, such as on cruise ships, allegedly claiming negligent property management and decision-making, shareholder liability suits for failure to disclose potential loss from lawsuits, workers compensation cases alleging workplace exposure occurring in the course of employment, and bystander exposure from spouses exposed to their husbands’ who contracted the disease on the job. Proving causation, will, however, be difficult. Proving negligence on the ground of flawed sterilization will also be difficult. Claims against cruise ship operators for failing to notify passengers before embarkation of potential exposure, however, I suggest may have some traction, although at present that route is not being.

Keywords: COVID, lawsuits, personal injury, cruise ships, exposure, causation, workers compensation, bystander suits, shareholder suits, tracking, transmission, corona virus, COVID-19, shoes

JEL Classification: I12, I18, I21, I28, K13, K32, K42