COVID-19 Lawsuits

As of May 1, 2020, more than 770 coronavirus lawsuits have been filed in state and federal courts across the U.S. Many of these claims are related to exposure issues and how various parties allegedly contributed to the spread of COVID-19.

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Please call 888-999-0828 or schedule a consultation online.

 

What Allegations Have Been Raised in Coronavirus Lawsuits?

The lawsuits alleging negligence in exposing people to COVID-19 include an array of different claims, including (but not limited to) failures to:

• Provide sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE)

• Abide by social distancing protocols

• Cancel or suspend large gatherings

• Send symptomatic or sick employees’ home

• Implement testing plans and/or contract tracing

• Take other reasonable actions to prevent the spread of the virus

 

Some cases, like a lawsuit filed against Smithfield Foods, even allege that employers were providing incentives (bonuses) to employees who showed up to work sick.

It’s important to note that coronavirus exposure is just one of the claims being made in the hundreds of COVID-19 lawsuits that are already making their way through the U.S. courts. Other allegations made in coronavirus lawsuits have included (and are not limited to):

• Failures to issue refunds for event cancellations: Cruise lines, airlines, hotels, concert ticket vendors, and others are in the hot seat for not providing refunds for travel or events that never occurred due to cancellations and lockdowns.

• Failures to issue refunds for tuitions and subscription fees: Colleges and universities, as well as gyms and other membership-based businesses, have also come under fire for charging customers for services that were never provided due to campus or business shutdowns.

• Discrimination, family leave, and employment termination claims: Parents who have been fired after taking time off work or asking for flexible working hours to care for children (due to school and daycare closures) have alleged wrongful termination and discrimination against employers.

 

Can I File a Coronavirus Lawsuit?

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Whether you have grounds to file a COVID-19 lawsuit will depend on several factors, including (but not limited to):

• Where you may have been exposed to the coronavirus: If you were exposed at work, you may be able to file a workers’ compensation claim—unless some egregious form of negligence was involved, in which case you may be able to file a coronavirus lawsuit. While exposure outside of work can also give risk to COVID-19 claims, some places, like hospitals and nursing homes, may have special protections against these liability claims.

• The harm caused by the exposure: In order to have a valid claim, exposure to COVID-19 must have caused illness. In other words, you can’t file a lawsuit for simply being exposed to the virus. The exposure itself must have resulted in physical harm and illness.

• The measures taken to prevent exposure: Did a business or organization follow the necessary protocols, like local ordinances and the guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to limit the spread of COVID-19? If so, it may be more challenging to hold those parties liable for coronavirus exposure.

• What you can prove: Given how easily COVID-19 spreads—and that it can be asymptomatic for days after contracting the virus—it can be difficult to prove where exactly exposure occurred. This will likely be even more challenging with states reopening. Nevertheless, it’s not impossible. Contact-tracing and several COVID-19 cases tied to one site can be helpful in establishing where exposure likely occurred.

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Coronavirus Lawsuits: The Bottom Line

When it comes to COVID-19 lawsuits, the bottom line is that we have yet to see the full scope of these cases and how they will turn out. While many are eager to see how these claims will fare, one thing seems clear already—coronavirus lawsuits will likely set some new precedents while reshaping the laws, policies, and insurance coverages related to pandemics.

Please call 888-999-0828 or schedule a consultation online.

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California Attorneys Represent Victims of Repetitive Stress Injuries

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION LAWYERS ASSIST CLIENTS IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA INJURED BY REPEATED MOTION AND LONG-TERM EXPOSURE

The lawyers at The Law Offices of California Injury, PLC, represent employees in the Southern California area and throughout California who develop repetitive stress injuries on the job over the course of months or years of work. Workers’ compensation doesn’t just apply to those who suffer single accidents on the job: it also provides benefits for employees who become injured due to repetitive motions caused by repeated tasks or extended exposure. With these types of injuries, workers may sustain damage to their wrists, their backs, their knees, and other body systems over the course of their employment. If you have suffered a work-related injury due to repetitive motion or long-term exposure, our knowledgeable and trustworthy attorneys can help you pursue the benefits you deserve.

 

CALIFORNIA ADVOCATES HANDLE A RANGE OF REPETITIVE MOTION CLAIMS

Our bodies aren’t designed for factory work or office jobs where we must repeat the same motions over and over again. Those actions can strain muscles and tendons, even when there is no heavy lifting involved. In fact, an activity as basic as typing can cause a debilitating condition known as carpal tunnel syndrome. This injury affects the median nerve, which runs the length of the arm, passes through the carpal tunnel in the wrist, and ends in the hand. Carpal tunnel symptoms such as tingling and numbness in the fingers and pain in the wrist and hand are common reasons for extended absences from work.

We have successfully helped injured workers get workers’ comp benefits from their employers for these and other types of repetitive motion injuries:

• Tendonitis and tendinosis

• Bursitis

• Back strain and disc injury

• Knee and ankle injury

• De Quervain syndrome (inflammation of the tendons that control thumb movement)

• Epicondylitis (tennis elbow)

 

If you’ve suffered one of these injuries or another condition related to your work activity, we will seek the compensation you deserve for medical costs, lost wages, and other losses covered by workers’ compensation.

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PROVEN LITIGATORS HANDLE CLAIMS INVOLVING LONG-TERM EXPOSURE

In addition to handling claims for clients who’ve suffered repetitive stress injuries, our firm represents workers whose long-term exposure to environmental conditions on their jobs have injured or sickened them. We are advocates for employees such as factory workers who’ve suffered hearing loss due to sustained loud noises or have been injured from repeated exposure to machinery vibrations. We also handle claims for workers whose jobs require them to handle chemicals when they’ve suffered toxic exposure over time. In these and other situations, our experienced attorneys will help you through the process of applying for workers’ compensation benefits and appealing a claim denial.

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Contact our California Workers’ Compensation Lawyers for Your Repetitive Stress Injury

Please call 888-999-0828 or schedule a consultation online.