There is one type of personal injury lawsuit that has gotten a great deal of press in recent weeks. Businesses, schools, and hospitals across the country have been pressuring national lawmakers to put in place legislation that would provide them with sweeping protections against Covid-19 personal injury lawsuits. Businesses claim that they might face a tsunami of lawsuits in the coming months as people who fall ill blame them for their sickness. Even though this tsunami of lawsuits is nowhere in sight, businesses are still seeking Covid-19 lawsuit protections. Louisiana lawmakers recently passed legislation protecting most businesses from Covid-19 lawsuits. Only in the case of gross negligence can a worker, patron, or person pursue a lawsuit.

Let’s be clear, a person who gets sick with Covid-19 can’t just go around suing every bar, restaurant, or store he or she patronized. And a worker who gets sick with Covid-19 generally won’t have the right to sue his or her employer if he or she gets sick. Lawsuits involving Covid-19—at least the ones that seem to be moving forward—often involve businesses and establishments that flagrantly ignored state and local orders, businesses and establishments that failed to provide basic protective equipment to workers, forced workers to show up to work sick, and failed to require workers and patrons to wear masks and obey basic local requirements regarding pandemic safety.

Even in cases where a business may have violated local or state orders, Covid-19 lawsuits can be difficult to prove and can be difficult to move forward. However, there has been concern that by providing businesses with widespread Covid-19 shields, businesses won’t have the incentive to protect their workers or the general public from the spread of the virus. The Doyle Law Firm is a personal injury law firm in Terrebonne Parish Louisiana that is closely watching this situation. We want to hear from members of the community and workers who believe that gross negligence on the part of an employer or business led to an outbreak. However, let’s be clear. Getting sick is not reason to pursue a lawsuit and there is legislation in place preventing people from pursuing these claims. However, cases where a business disobeyed local orders, or failed to require basic safety, or failed to take safety measures is a case where the general public may have a right to answers and compensation.

Workers Getting Sick from Covid-19 in Terrebonne Parish Louisiana

What kind of scenarios are we considering when we talk about Covid-19 liability? We’re talking about situations where businesses forced workers to come in with fevers or when they were feeling sick, nursing homes that failed to provide standards of care to residents, in direct defiance of health recommendations and common sense, or businesses that broke Covid-19 quarantine rules. We’re talking about a situation where workers were not given protective equipment or proper sanitation supplies (think a nursing home without hand sanitizer or PPP for workers, or one that doesn’t put in place a visitation policy in line with local recommendations). These are situations where the general public’s health could be put at risk.

NPR has written that some colleges and other businesses, including dentists and hair dressers, have been asking customers and students to sign liability waivers. This is particularly true in states that haven’t put in place legislation against lawsuits. This has raised the concern of lawyers and others who are worried that these waivers shield the organization from liability, thus allowing it to put safety second when it comes to its students. There are certainly situations where some businesses and groups should simply be held to a higher standard as well. Think nursing homes, schools, colleges, dentists, and other groups that work closely with the public and with at-risk members of the population.

The Doyle Law Firm is a personal injury law firm in Terrebonne Parish Louisiana that works hard to protect individuals when they have suffered due to the negligence of another person or party. If you or someone you love was hurt or fell sick with Covid-19 and you believe you fell sick due to gross negligence on the part of a business or organization, you may have certain rights under the law. Of course, we want to be clear. Just getting sick isn’t enough. You can’t go around suing every place you went to before you got sick!

A person would need to show that a business failed to take safety precautions and this led to an outbreak of disease either among workers or among patrons. Reach out to the Doyle Law Firm today to learn more. According to the Insurance Journal, Louisiana has put in place Covid-19 lawsuit protections for businesses. Under these protections, a business can only be sued for gross negligence. However, there are important exceptions to this law. The Doyle Law Firm is a personal injury attorney in Terrebonne Parish Louisiana that is here for you. Contact us today or reach out to USAttorneys.com to get matched with a lawyer at the Doyle Law Firm today.