Should businesses be given liability protection?

[CountValentine]

Vote!

[Lurker]

Explain?

[CountValentine]

Liability from covid-19 lawsuits.
I go to a restaurant and catch covid-19. I claim they did not have proper safety measures in place.

[Lurker]

Liability from covid-19 lawsuits.
I go to a restaurant and catch covid-19. I claim they did not have proper safety measures in place.

Can you sue for airborne viruses? Seems impossible to prove.

[S209]

Can you sue for airborne viruses? Seems impossible to prove.

You can prove if their safety measures were lacking, though

[CountValentine]

Can you sue for airborne viruses? Seems impossible to prove.

How about the virus on tables, plates, glasses and a hundred other possibilities.
It is like tracing E. coil back to a restaurant or a factory.

[CountValentine]

You can prove if their safety measures were lacking, though

You can prove both.

[Lurker]

You can prove if their safety measures were lacking, though

There are no fool proof ways to prevent getting the virus, including gloves and masks. It would be hard to prove you didn't get it walking in, and only after you sat in the restaurant. In this instance, I don't believe the risk of lawsuits is any higher than lawsuits for catching the flu.

[Lurker]

How about the virus on tables, plates, glasses and a hundred other possibilities.
It is like tracing E. coil back to a restaurant or a factory.

E. coli isn't commonly found on other surfaces or in the air. This virus is too common to be narrowed down to the inside of the actual restaurant, especially given the incubation period. Too much time would have passed to be able to prove anything.

[CountValentine]

There are no fool proof ways to prevent getting the virus, including gloves and masks. It would be hard to prove you didn't get it walking in, and only after you sat in the restaurant. In this instance, I don't believe the risk of lawsuits is any higher than lawsuits for catching the flu.

How about 150 out 175 passengers of a flight get the virus. You going to claim it wasn't from the flight?

[Sam Finkelstein]

How about 150 out 175 passengers of a flight get the virus. You going to claim it wasn't from the flight?

High likelihood, but that's very different from a restaurant.

[Lurker]

How about 150 out 175 passengers of a flight get the virus. You going to claim it wasn't from the flight?

I agree that airlines have an issue, although you'd have to prove it was the flight and not the gate at the airport. But most businesses don't have you locked in a room for enough time for you to narrow down the infection to their place of business, IMO.

[CountValentine]

High likelihood, but that's very different from a restaurant.

I can give thousands of different examples. The question remains should there be liability protection like the R's and Trump are trying to get in the next bill?

[CountValentine]

I agree that airlines have an issue, although you'd have to prove it was the flight and not the gate at the airport. But most businesses don't have you locked in a room for enough time for you to narrow down the infection to their place of business, IMO.

Ok they have to prove it. The question is should they have that opportunity?

[Lurker]

I voted they should have protection. There comes a certain point where personal responsibility comes into play. If you're not sure patronizing a certain business fits into your acceptable risk for getting this virus, don't go there. It would be a very hard lawsuit to win, and would lead to way too much frivolous litigation, hurting business that have already been hit hard by this pandemic and clogging up the courts.

[CountValentine]

I voted they should have protection. There comes a certain point where personal responsibility comes into play. If you're not sure patronizing a certain business fits into your acceptable risk for getting this virus, don't go there. It would be a very hard lawsuit to win, and would lead to way too much frivolous litigation, hurting business that have already been hit hard by this pandemic and clogging up the courts.

So protect the business but not the life of an individual. Sad to hear that.

[Lurker]

So protect the business but not the life of an individual. Sad to hear that.

How is it protecting life? You're talking lawsuits after the fact. The only people you're protecting are lawyers and the people who manage their money.

[CountValentine]

How is it protecting life? You're talking lawsuits after the fact. The only people you're protecting are lawyers and the people who manage their money.

If there is no liability there is no reason for safety except for ones moral values. We all know how that worked out in the past.

[Lurker]

If there is no liability there is no reason for safety except for ones moral values. We all know how that worked out in the past.

Do you have an example of something like this that hasn't worked out in the past? Forget worked out or not, I can't think of any situation that has ever been comparable to start with.

The businesses put themselves and their workers at risk here. This isn't something they're only giving to the customers. It's in their own best interest to keep the virus out.

[ari3]

there is a difference between protecting a restaurant from a lawsuit because someone caught corona while dining there and protecting a restaurant from a lawsuit from someone who caught the virus because the restaurant was negligent or didn't keep safety protocols

when you go to a restaurant you are accepting a certain amount of risk and they shouldn't be liable for that unless there was negligence