COVID-19 Liability: Tort, Workplace Safety, and Securities Law

COVID-19 Liability: Tort, Workplace Safety, and Securities Law

OVID-19 Liability: Tort, Workplace Safety,
September 24, 2020
and Securities Law
Kevin M. Lewis
Although the COVID-19 pandemic is still unfolding, a number of plaintiffs have already filed
Legislative Attorney
lawsuits seeking compensation for COVID-19-related injuries. Some stakeholders have

expressed concern that the risk of COVID-19-related lawsuits threatens a range of businesses and
Joshua T. Lobert
other entities with substantial financial losses. Those stakeholders claim that this risk may
Legislative Attorney
discourage these entities from reopening and adversely affect the economy as the nation attempts

to emerge from the pandemic. Some observers are therefore urging Congress to pass legislation
insulating businesses, schools, and other organizations from COVID-19-related liability. Others,
Wen W. Shen
however, claim that the risk of potential liability arising from COVID-19 is actually minimal, and
Legislative Attorney
that enacting a COVID-19 liability shield would remove entities’ legal incentives to take steps to

prevent the spread of the disease.
Jon O. Shimabukuro
Legislative Attorney
Some of the COVID-19-related lawsuits that plaintiffs have filed so far allege that the defendant

caused the plaintiff to contract COVID-19 by failing to take reasonable steps to prevent the
spread of the disease, such as requiring employees and customers to wear personal protective

equipment and enforcing social distancing. These lawsuits generally raise state law tort causes of
action, such as negligence or medical malpractice. While several federal and state laws and legal doctrines may limit some
entities’ exposure to COVID-19-related tort liability, some stakeholders maintain that existing legal provisions do not
adequately protect defendants. Several Members of the 116th Congress have therefore introduced bills proposing to insulate
defendants from COVID-19-related tort liability under specified conditions. These bills raise an array of legal and practical
questions that Congress may want to consider.
Some commentators argue that rather than shielding defendants from liability for COVID-19 transmission claims, Congress
should instead require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to promulg ate COVID-19-specific
workplace safety standards. OSHA has not issued such standards independently, so some Members of the 116th Congress
have introduced several bills that would require OSHA to do so. Nonetheless, there are some existing OSHA workplace
safety rules that may apply in the COVID-19 context.
Concerns regarding potential COVID-19-related liability extend beyond situations involving COVID-19 transmission or
workplace safety. Some lawsuits instead allege that a business took unlawful actions during the pandemic that caused the
plaintiff purely economic harm. For instance, some stockholders allege that certain companies violated federal securities laws
by misstating the pandemic’s effect on their finances in mandatory disclosure documents. While Congress already has
enacted certain statutory safe harbors that may protect public companies from COVID-19-related liability under existing
federal securities laws, some stakeholders urge Congress to amend those laws to provide companies greater protection.
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Contents
State Common Law Tort Liability...................................................................................... 4
Potential Sources of COVID-19-Related Liability........................................................... 5
Negligence .......................................................................................................... 5
Medical Malpractice ............................................................................................. 6
Potential Limits on COVID-19 Liability ....................................................................... 7
Federal Statutes.................................................................................................... 7
State Laws and Doctrines ...................................................................................... 8
Other Existing Laws that Could Affect COVID-19-Related Liability ............................... 12
Laws Governing Tort Remedies............................................................................ 12
Procedural Rules ................................................................................................ 13
Proposals to Modify Existing Law and Issues for Congress ............................................ 16
Source of Constitutional Authority ........................................................................ 17
Designing the Proposal........................................................................................ 23
Other Constitutional Issues .................................................................................. 28
Workplace Safety .......................................................................................................... 33
OSHA Standards ..................................................................................................... 34
General Duty Clause ........................................................................................... 35
OSHA Standards and COVID-19 .......................................................................... 36
The OSH Act and State Workplace Safety Requirements .......................................... 38
The Interaction Between OSHA Standards and Tort Law .......................................... 39
Proposals to Enhance Workplace Safety Standards........................................................ 40
The Federal Securities Laws ........................................................................................... 40
Duty to Disclose Under the Federal Securities Laws ..................................................... 41
COVID-19-Related Disclosure Obligations ................................................................. 43
Proposals to Amend the Federal Securities Laws .......................................................... 44

Contacts
Author Information ....................................................................................................... 46

Congressional Research Service

COVID-19 Liability: Tort, Workplace Safety, and Securities Law

lthough the COVID-19 pandemic is stil unfolding, a number of plaintiffs have already
filed tort lawsuits1 seeking compensation for personal injuries resulting from al eged
A coronavirus exposure or a defendant’s failure to properly treat COVID-19.2 To name just
a few examples:
 Relatives of several people who al egedly contracted COVID-19 in the
workplace have filed lawsuits al eging that the decedents’ employers caused the
decedents’ deaths by failing to implement appropriate workplace safety
measures.3
 Numerous cruise ship passengers have sued cruise lines for al egedly exposing
them to the coronavirus or causing them to contract COVID-19 during the
voyage.4
 Several plaintiffs have sued assisted living facilities or nursing homes, al eging
that their relatives died because these facilities negligently exposed them to the
coronavirus5 and/or failed to timely and adequately diagnose and treat their
coronavirus-related conditions.6
In addition to tort suits, plaintiffs have also filed other types of lawsuits that al ege a variety of
other injuries related to the COVID-19 pandemic:
 Many businesses that were shuttered this spring due to COVID-19 have sued
their insurers to chal enge the insurers’ denial of their claims for business
interruption coverage.7
 Consumers holding tickets for travel or events scheduled for spring 2020, or
memberships or season passes at various recreational facilities, have filed suits
seeking refunds for cancel ations or closures due to the pandemic.8

1 T ort law is the body of law that creates a civil remedy for persons injured by another person’s wrongful or culpable
conduct. Tort, BLACK’S LAW DICTIONARY (11th ed. 2019). See also CRS In Focus IF11291, Introduction to Tort Law,
by Kevin M. Lewis [hereinafter Lewis, Introduction].
2 See, e.g., Janet Adamy, Families File First Wave of Covid-19 Lawsuits Against Companies Over Worker Deaths,
WALL STREET JOURNAL (July 30, 2020).
3 See, e.g., Complaint—Civil Action, Benjamin v. JBS S.A., 2:20-cv-02594 (E.D. Pa. June 2, 2020), ECF No. 1-1
[hereinafter Benjam in]; Plaintiffs’ First Amended Complaint, Requena v. Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., 9:20-cv-00147 (E.D.
T ex. Aug. 13, 2020), ECF No. 14; Complaint at Law, Evans v. Walmart, Inc., 2020L003938 (Ill. Cir. Ct. Apr. 6, 2020).
4 See, e.g., Amended Complaint and Jury Demand, Hsu v. Princess Cruise Lines Ltd., 2:20 -cv-03488 (C.D. Cal. May
29, 2020), ECF No. 25; Second Amended Class Action Complaint for Damages, Archer v. Carnival Corp., 2:20 -cv-
04203 (C.D. Cal. Aug. 14, 2020), ECF No. 58 [hereinafter Archer]; Complaint for Damages, Nevis v. Costa Crociere
S.P.A., 0:20-cv-60759 (S.D. Fla. Apr. 14, 2020), ECF No. 1 [hereinafter Nevis].
5 T his report uses the phrase “the coronavirus” to refer to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-
CoV-2), which is the virus that causes the disease COVID-19.
6 See, e.g., Complaint, Hendrix v. Arbor T errace at Cascade, LLC, 1:20-cv-02326 (N.D. Ga. May 29, 2020), ECF No.
1-1 [hereinafter Hendrix]; Plaintiff’s Complaint at Law, Meskill v. Bridgeview Health Care Ctr. Ltd., 2020L005907
(Ill. Cir. Ct. June 3, 2020); Complaint for Damages: Fraud and Wrongful Death, De Los Angeles v. Life Care Ctrs. of
Am., Inc., 20-2-07689-9 (Wash. Super. Ct. Apr. 10, 2020) [hereinafter De Los Angeles]; Second Amended Complaint
¶¶ 34-39, Maglioli v. Andover Subacute Rehabilitation Ctr. I, 2:20 -cv-06605 (D.N.J. May 29, 2020), ECF No. 1-1
[hereinafter Maglioli].
7 See, e.g., Complaint, Legacy Sports Barbershop LLC v. Cont’l Cas. Co., 1:20 -cv-04149 (N.D. Ill. July 14, 2020), ECF
No. 1 (lawsuit alleging wrongful denial of claim under plaintiff’s business income or business interruption coverage).
8 See, e.g., Complaint, Bess v. Frontier Airlines, Inc., 1:20-cv-1837 (D. Colo. June 22, 2020), ECF No. 1 (lawsuit
challenging airline’s refusal to issue monetary refunds); Complaint, Leon v. Disney Destinations, LLC, 6:20 -cv-1227
(M.D. Fla. July 10, 2020), ECF No. 1 (lawsuit alleging that the defendant theme park breached its contract with annual
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 Some college students who completed their spring semesters via remote learning
have sued their universities for partial tuition refunds, on the ground that the
tuition they paid covered the use of many facilities to which the students no
longer had access.9
 Some plaintiff employees al ege that their employers unlawfully terminated them
for contracting COVID-19.10
 Some stockholders have filed lawsuits al eging that certain public companies
violated federal securities laws by misstating the pandemic’s effect on the
companies’ finances in mandatory disclosure documents.11
As this litigation landscape continues to evolve, policymakers and commentators are debating
whether (1) the potential financial exposure faced by defendants in COVID-19-related lawsuits—
particularly COVID-19-related tort suits—might hinder the nation’s recovery from the economic
fal out of the pandemic, and (2) Congress therefore should step in and legislate limits on the
scope of COVID-19-related claims that plaintiffs may pursue.12 Some stakeholders maintain that
COVID-19 litigation threatens businesses and other organizations with ruinous liability.13 These
stakeholders further claim that businesses, schools, healthcare providers, and other entities wil be
unwil ing to reopen their businesses—and thereby contribute to the nation’s economic recovery—
if doing so wil expose them to costly litigation related to coronavirus exposure.14 Some maintain
that these COVID-19 lawsuits are general y meritless, and therefore serve primarily to benefit
plaintiffs’ lawyers rather than vindicate injured persons’ legal rights.15 These stakeholders
therefore urge Congress to pass legislation establishing limits on COVID-19-related liability.16

pass holders).
9 See, e.g., Complaint, Irizarry v. Long Island Univ., 7:20-cv-3160 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 21, 2020), ECF No. 1.
10 See, e.g., Complaint, Simone v. Harborview Rehabilitation & Care Ctr. at Doylestown LLC, 2:20 -cv-03551 (E.D. Pa.
July 20, 2020), ECF No. 1. A separate CRS product analyzes potential COVID-19-related workplace liability under
antidiscrimination laws. See CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10471, COVID-19 and Workplace Liability: Selected Issues
Under Antidiscrim ination Laws, by April J. Anderson.
11 See infra “COVID-19-Related Disclosure Obligations.”
12 Compare, e.g., Alexander Bolton, Liability shield fight threatens to blow up relief talks, T he Hill (July 30, 2020),
available at https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/509710 -liability-shield-fight-threatens-to-blow-up-relief-talks
(statement of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell) (“There is no chance, zero chance, America c an get back to
normal without . . . liability protection . . . .”), with, e.g., id. (statement of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse) (“ T his is a fake
[issue] because there is not a business reopening problem from fear of liability.”).
13 See, e.g., U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Coalition Letter on Coronavirus Liability Protections (July 30, 2020),
available at https://www.uschamber.com/letters-congress/coalition-letter-coronavirus-liability-protections (arguing that
“COVID-19-related lawsuits and their consequent exorbitant legal costs could . . . cripple businesses, educational
institutions, and non-profit organizations both large and small”).
14 See, e.g., id. (claiming that “COVID-19-related lawsuits and their consequent exorbitant legal costs could deter
entities from reopening”); Safeguarding America’s Frontline Employees to Offer Work Opportunities Required to
Kickstart the Economy Act (SAFE T O WORK Act), S. 4317, 116th Cong. § 2(a)(17) (2d Sess. 2020) (“ Individuals and
entities potentially subject to coronavirus-related liability will structure their decisionmaking to avoid that liability.
Small and large businesses, schools, colleges and universities, religious, philanthropic, and other non-profit institutions,
and local government agencies may decline to reopen because of the risk of litigation. T hey may limit their output or
engagement with customers and communities to avoid the risk of litigation.”).
15 See SAFE T O WORK Act, S. 4317, 116th Cong. § 2(b)(5) (2d Sess. 2020) (proposing to enact a federal COVID -19
liability shield intended to “prevent litigation brought to extract settlements and enrich trial lawyers rather than
vindicate meritorious claims”).
16 See, e.g., U.S. Chamber of Commerce, supra note 13 (“[N]ow is the time for Congress to take strong action and
provide a national baseline of protection during this national pandemic to stop a growing wave of lawsuits from
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Others commentators disagree. Critics of legislative action that would circumscribe COVID-19
liability claim that businesses, schools, healthcare providers, and other organizations in fact face
only minimal exposure to COVID-19-related liability.17 They also contend that shielding
defendants from COVID-19-related claims would imperil the public by al owing defendants to
commit negligent acts with impunity and removing incentives for businesses to take steps to
prevent the disease’s transmission.18
The 116th Congress has introduced various bil s in response to this debate. Several legislative
proposals would shield certain defendants from COVID-19-related tort liability under specified
conditions.19 Other proposals would not provide businesses with liability shields, but instead
would enhance federal workplace safety standards under the Occupational Safety and Health Act
of 1970 (OSH Act) to protect against occupational exposure to the coronavirus.20
This report analyzes some of the legal standards governing COVID-19 liability, some of the
proposals for federal legislation that would modify those standards, and the legal issues that
Congress may consider in deciding whether to implement legislative limitations on COVID-19-
related lawsuits. Due to the fluidity of the COVID-19 litigation landscape, however, the report
limits its coverage to three specific areas of potential legislative action.
Lawsuits seeking compensation for physical injuries resulting from exposure to the coronavirus
or from a defendant’s al eged failure to diagnose and treat COVID-19 are most central to the
policy debate over whether COVID-19-related liability hinders the nation’s economic recovery.
Thus, the report begins by discussing how state tort law may expose certain entities to COVID-
19-related liability.21 The report then identifies various issues Congress may consider when
formulating or evaluating proposals to insulate prospective defendants from COVID-19-related
tort claims.22
The report next discusses how federal workplace safety standards might be used as an alternative
to legislative limitations on tort claims.23 This section analyzes existing federal workplace safety
standards relevant to COVID-19, as wel as proposals to enhance these standards to provide
additional safeguards against COVID-19 transmission.24
The report concludes by shifting its focus away from personal injuries to examine a category of
lawsuits al eging economic injuries that some commentators worry might proliferate due to
COVID-19. Specifical y, the report analyzes how the pandemic may expose public companies to

inhibiting our return to a robust economy and healthy citizenry.”).
17 See, e.g., Bolton, supra note 12 (statement of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse) (claiming that plaintiffs have in fact f iled
relatively few lawsuits seeking compensation for COVID-19-related injuries). See also infra “ Potential Limits on
COVID-19 Liability.”
18 See, e.g., T odd Ruger, Health and business concerns clash in COVID-19 liability debate, CQ (July 22, 2020),
available at https://plus.cq.com/doc/news-5961172?1 (“ Consumer and employee advocates and many Democratic
lawmakers say the threat of such lawsuits is an important way to make sure employers take steps to keep workers and
the public safe . . . .”).
19 See infra “Proposals to Modify Existing Law and Issues for Congress.”
20 See infra “Proposals to Enhance Workplace Safety Standards.”
21 See infra “Potential Sources of COVID-19-Related Liability.”
22 See infra “Proposals to Modify Existing Law and Issues for Congress.”
23 See, e.g., Bolton, supra note 12 (statement of Yona Rozen, AFL-CIO) (arguing that the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration should issue COVID-19-related workplace safety standards).
24 See infra “Workplace Safety.”
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increased liability risk under federal securities laws, as wel as proposals to shield public
companies from that risk.25
State Common Law Tort Liability
One particularly salient source of potential COVID-19-related liability for businesses, schools,
healthcare providers, and other entities is state tort law,26 which creates a civil remedy for persons
injured by another person’s wrongful or culpable conduct.27 For example, if a driver causes an
automobile accident by carelessly failing to pay attention behind the wheel, the victims of that
accident may be able to sue the driver to obtain compensation.28
Traditional y, the creation and development of tort law has been the domain of the states rather
than the federal government.29 As a separate CRS product describes, however, Congress
periodical y passes legislation that alters the applicability or operation of state tort law s.30
This section of this report provides an overview of the tort causes of action that are particularly
relevant in the COVID-19 context, the applicable existing laws that limit liability under these tort
causes of action, and other substantive and procedural laws that do not directly limit, but can
affect, a defendant’s liability under these causes of action. In almost al U.S. jurisdictions, tort law
derives largely from the common law31—that is, from judicial decisions rather than legislation.32
In many jurisdictions, however, state legislatures have codified or altered common law tort
principles in various respects.33 Because tort doctrines are largely a creation of state law, tort law
often varies from state to state.34 Thus, this report provides only a broad overview of tort
principles that apply in most jurisdictions; the principles discussed in this report may not apply
equal y in every state.

25 See infra “T he Federal Securities Laws.”
26 See supra notes 3-4, 6 and accompanying text (listing examples of COVID-19-related tort lawsuits that plaintiffs
have filed against defendants to date).
27 See, e.g., Tort, BLACK’S LAW DICTIONARY (11th ed. 2019). See also Lewis, Introduction, supra note 1.
28 See, e.g., Bryant Walker Smith, Automated Driving and Product Liability, 2017 MICH. ST. L. REV. 1, 66.
29 See, e.g., Funk v. Belneftekhim, 14-cv-0376, 2018 WL 4006878, at *1 (E.D.N.Y. May 25, 2018) (characterizing tort
law as “a field traditionally occupied by the states”); In re LIBOR-Based Fin. Instruments Antitrust Litig., No. 11 MDL
2262, 2015 WL 6696407, at *15 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 3, 2015) (describing “ general tort law” as “ the traditional domain of
state authority”).
30 See CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10461, Federal Legislation Shielding Businesses and Individuals from Tort Liability: A
Legal and Historical Overview, by Kevin M. Lewis [hereinafter Lewis, Federal Legislation].
31 See, e.g., Mark C. Rahdert, Exceptionalism Unbound: Appraising American Resistance to Foreign Law, 65 CATH. U.
L. REV. 537 (2016).
32 See, e.g., Common Law, BLACK’S LAW DICTIONARY (11th ed. 2019).
33 See, e.g., T EX. CIV. PRAC. & REM. CODE ANN. §§ 74.001-74.507 (T exas statute governing medical liability); Craig ex
rel. Craig v. Oakwood Hosp., 684 N.W.2d 296, 308 (Mich. 2004) (explaining that the Michigan legislature has codified
the common law elements of a medical malpractice action).
34 See, e.g., Richard C. Ausness, The Case for a “Strong” Regulatory Compliance Defense, 55 MD. L. REV. 1210, 1219
(1996).
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Potential Sources of COVID-19-Related Liability
While there are many tort causes of action a plaintiff could conceivably pursue in a case seeking
compensation for COVID-19-related injuries,35 two common law tort doctrines are especial y
relevant in the COVID-19 context: negligence and medical malpractice.
Negligence
The cause of action that plaintiffs have asserted most frequently in COVID-19-related tort
lawsuits is negligence.36 To prevail on a negligence claim in most jurisdictions, the plaintiff must
prove:
1. the defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care;
2. the defendant breached that duty;
3. the plaintiff sustained an injury; and
4. the defendant’s breach caused the plaintiff’s injury.37
As for the duty element, entities general y owe a duty to take reasonable care to avoid injuring
others.38 To satisfy the causation element, the plaintiff must general y prove that the defendant’s
breach of its duty of care “proximately” caused the plaintiff’s injury—that is, that the injury
natural y and foreseeably followed from the defendant’s actions.39
The case of Benjamin v. JBS S.A. il ustrates how these negligence elements may apply in a
COVID-19-related tort lawsuit.40 The plaintiff in Benjamin al eges that his father, a union steward
at a meat processing plant, died of COVID-19-related complications after he was exposed to the

35 See, e.g., De Los Angeles, supra note 6 ¶¶ 38-49 (raising negligence, fraud, fraudulent concealment, and negligent
misrepresentation causes of action based on allegations that a nursing home residen t contracted fatal case of COVID-
19); Benjam in, supra note 3 ¶¶ 147-86 (asserting negligence, fraudulent misrepresentation, and intentional
misrepresentation claims based on allegations that an employee contracted a fatal case of COVID -19 at work); Nevis,
supra note 4 ¶¶ 54-83 (raising negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress, intentional infliction of emotional
distress, and negligent misrepresentation claims based on allegations that a cruise ship company exposed passengers to
the coronavirus).
36 See, e.g., Benjamin, supra note 3 ¶¶ 147-156 (claim that employer negligently caused employee’s death by allegedly
failing to employ certain safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19); Hendrix, supra note 6 ¶¶ 34-41
(complaint alleging that assisted living facility negligently caused resident’s death by “failing to take . . . precautions
designed to prevent the spread of Covid-19”); Archer, supra note 4 ¶¶ 234-249 (putative class action lawsuit alleging
that cruise lines negligently exposed passengers to COVID-19).
37 See, e.g., J.H. ex rel. A.R. v. R&M T agliareni, LLC, 216 A.3d 169, 180 (N.J. 2019); Knapton ex rel. E.K. v. Monk,
347 P.3d 1257, 1259 (Mont. 2015); Bell ex rel. Bell v. Dawson, 82 A.3d 827, 831-32 (Me. 2013).
38 See, e.g., Feld v. Borkowski, 790 N.W.2d 72, 75 (Iowa 2010) (“As a general rule, our law recognizes that every
person owes a duty to exercise reasonable care to avoid causing injuries to others.”); Domagala v. Rolland, 805 N.W.2d
14, 23 (Minn. 2011) (“[G]eneral negligence law imposes a general duty of reasonable care when the defendant’s own
conduct creates a foreseeable risk of injury to a foreseeable plaintiff.”); Herrera v. Quality Pontiac, 73 P.3d 181, 195
(N.M. 2003) (“T he finder of fact must determine whether Defendant breached the duty of ordinary care by considering
what a reasonably prudent individual would foresee, what an unreasonable risk of injury would be, and what would
constitute an exercise of ordinary care in light of all surrounding circumstances . . . .”).
39 See, e.g., Bader v. Johnson, 732 N.E.2d 1212, 1218 (Ind. 2000) (“An indispensable element of a negligence claim is
that the act complained of must be the proximate cause of the plaintiff’s injuries. A negligent act is the proximate cause
of an injury if the injury is a natural and probable consequence, which in the light of the circumstances, should have
been foreseen or anticipated.”) (internal citations omitted).
40 See Benjamin, supra note 3.
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coronavirus at work.41 According to the plaintiff, the decedent’s employer owed its employees a
duty to provide them a safe working environment.42 The plaintiff claims that the employer
breached that duty by, among other things, failing to provide its employees personal protective
equipment, failing to enforce social distancing guidelines, and failing to sanitize its facilities.43
Those al eged breaches, according to the plaintiff, proximately caused his father to become
infected with the coronavirus and die of COVID-19.44 The plaintiff has therefore sued the plant
owners and operators for negligence,45 as wel as other tort causes of action.46 The defendants
have filed motions to dismiss the case, which remain pending as of the date of this report.47
Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice is another tort cause of action that some plaintiffs have asserted in COVID-
19-related lawsuits.48 Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider injures someone by
providing substandard medical care.49 Because medical malpractice is a variant of negligence, the
elements a plaintiff must prove to prevail in a medical malpractice action are usual y similar to
the negligence elements.50 Specifical y, the plaintiff must establish:
1. The appropriate standard of care governing the healthcare provider’s conduct;
2. That the healthcare provider breached that standard of care;
3. That the plaintiff sustained an injury; and
4. That the healthcare provider’s breach of the applicable standard of care
proximately caused the plaintiff’s injury.51
A medical malpractice suit differs slightly from an ordinary negligence action, however, to the
extent that the applicable standard of care is the level of care, skil , and treatment that a
reasonably prudent healthcare professional would provide under the circumstances.52

41 See id. ¶¶ 3, 10, 95-97.
42 See id. ¶ 153.
43 See id. ¶ 154.
44 See id. ¶¶ 154-155.
45 See id. ¶¶ 147-156.
46 See id. ¶¶ 157-186.
47 See Memorandum of Law in Support of Motion to Dismiss of Defendants JBS USA Food Company, JBS USA
Holdings, Inc., JBS Souderton, Inc., and Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation Pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
12(b)(2) and 12(b)(6), Benjamin v. JBS S.A., 2:2 0-cv-02594 (E.D. Pa. June 16, 2020), ECF No. 15 [hereinafter
Benjam in Motion to Dism iss]; Memorandum of Law in Support of Motion to Dismiss of Defendant JBS S.A. Pursuant
to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(2) and 12(b)(6), Benjamin v. JBS S.A., 2:20 -cv-02594 (E.D. Pa. Sept. 16,
2020), ECF No. 36. T his report discusses certain aspects of the defendants’ motion to dismiss below. See infra
“Workers’ Compensation Laws.”
48 See, e.g., Maglioli, supra note 6 ¶¶ 34-39.
49 See, e.g., Austin v. Wells, 919 So.2d 961, 962 (Miss. 2006) (medical malpractice action alleging that doctor failed to
properly treat complications arising from surgical procedure).
50 See, e.g., Quinby v. Plumsteadville Family Practice, Inc., 907 A.2d 1061, 1070 (Pa. 2006) (stating that “medical
malpractice is a form of negligence” and a medical malpractice plaintiff must therefore “demonstrate the elements of
negligence”).
51 See, e.g., Craig ex rel. Craig v. Oakwood Hosp., 684 N.W.2d 296, 308 (Mich. 2004); Smith v. Parrott, 833 A.2d 843,
847 (Vt. 2003); Nold ex rel. Nold v. Binyon, 31 P.3d 274, 285 (Kan. 2001).
52 See, e.g., Saunders v. Dickens, 151 So.3d 434, 441 (Fla. 2014) (“T he duty element requires a physician to act within
the standard of professional care. T he standard of professional care is a level of care, skill, and treatment that, in
consideration of all surrounding circumstances, is recognized as acceptable and appropriat e by similar and reasonably
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Maglioli v. Andover Subacute Rehabilitation Center I il ustrates how the medical malpractice
doctrine can apply in the COVID-19 context.53 The plaintiffs in Maglioli al ege that their father, a
patient at a rehabilitation center, contracted and ultimately died from COVID-19.54 According to
the plaintiffs, the doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals at the facility breached the
prevailing standard of care by failing to prevent, diagnose, and treat their father’s il ness.55 The
plaintiffs claim that this al eged breach proximately caused their father’s death.56 The defendants
deny these al egations.57
Potential Limits on COVID-19 Liability
Several existing federal and state laws and doctrines may mitigate the COVID-19-related liability
risk that certain defendants might otherwise face.
Federal Statutes
As another CRS product discusses in greater detail, Congress has enacted various federal statutes
that shield private parties from tort liability under specified circumstances.58 Many of those
statutes aim to encourage private parties to engage in social y desirable activities that liability
risks might otherwise discourage them from conducting, such as developing vaccines59 or
donating food.60 As explained below, several of these statutes may insulate certain defendants
from COVID-19-related tort liability under certain conditions.
The PREP Act
For example, subject to various exceptions and conditions, the Public Readiness and Emergency
Preparedness (PREP) Act shields manufacturers, distributors, healthcare providers, and other
entities from liability for certain injuries they inflict while using or administering specified
medical products designated as “covered countermeasures” during a public health emergency.61
As a separate CRS product explains, the PREP Act may therefore shield various entities from
certain COVID-19-related tort claims.62 For instance, the PREP Act may immunize healthcare

prudent health care providers. In short, it is to provide the care that a reasonably prudent physician would provide.”)
(internal citations omitted).
53 See Maglioli, supra note 6 ¶¶ 34-39. T he plaintiffs in Maglioli also raise ordinary negligence claims. See id. ¶¶ 26-
33, 40-42.
54 See id. ¶¶ 1, 15.
55 See id. ¶ 37.
56 See id. ¶ 38.
57 See Answer to Plaintiffs’ Second Amended Complaint and Affirmative Defenses to Complaint, Maglioli v. Andover
Subacute Rehabilitation Ctr. I, 2:20-cv-06605 (D.N.J. June 3, 2020), ECF No. 4.
58 See Lewis, Federal Legislation, supra note 30.
59 See, e.g., National Swine Flu Immunization Program of 1976, Pub. L. No. 94 -380, 90 Stat. 1113 (1976); National
Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, Pub. L. No. 99 -660, 100 Stat. 3743 (1986).
60 See Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, Pub. L. No. 104-210, 110 Stat. 3011 (1996).
61 See, e.g., 42 U.S.C. § 247d-6d(a)(1) (“[A] covered person shall be immune from suit and liability under Federal and
State law with respect to all claims for loss caused by, arising out of, relating to , or resulting from the administration to
or the use by an individual of a covered countermeasure if an [emergency declaration] has been issued with respect to
such countermeasure.”). See also id. § 247d-6d(i)(1) (defining “ covered countermeasure”); id. § 247d-6d(i)(2)
(defining “covered person”).
62 See CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10443, The PREP Act and COVID-19: Limiting Liability for Medical Countermeasures,
by Kevin J. Hickey.
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providers who administer certain respiratory protective devices during the COVID-19 emergency
from claims arising from the use of those devices.63
The CARES Act
Subject to several conditions and exceptions, Section 3215 of the CARES Act shields individual
volunteer healthcare professionals from liability for acts or omissions they commit while
providing COVID-19-related healthcare services during the COVID-19 public health
emergency.64 Section 3215 does not protect defendants that are not “individuals” (such as
hospitals),65 nor does it apply to acts or omissions that healthcare professionals commit while they
are providing COVID-19-related healthcare services for profit.66
The Volunteer Protection Act
Subject to various conditions and exceptions,67 the Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 (VPA)68
shields individuals who volunteer for nonprofit organizations or governmental entities from
liability for certain acts or omissions.69 The VPA may therefore protect certain volunteers from
liability for negligently spreading the coronavirus.70 Like Section 3215 of the CARES Act,
however, the VPA would not protect defendants that are not “individuals” (such as nonprofit
organizations)71 or non-volunteers72 from COVID-19-related liability.
State Laws and Doctrines
Besides these existing federal protections, existing state laws may also insulate various
defendants from COVID-19-related tort liability.
State Law COVID-19 Liability Shields and Executive Orders
Several states have passed laws or promulgated executive orders that purport to shield certain
defendants from COVID-19-related tort liability under specified conditions.73 To date, states that
have done so have primarily granted time-limited protections to their health care sectors.74 In

63 See 42 U.S.C. § 247d-6d(i)(1)(D) (defining “covered countermeasure” to include, among other things, “a respiratory
protective device that is approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health” which the Secretary of
Health and Human Services “determines to be a priority for use during a public health emergency”).
64 See Pub. L. No. 116-136 § 3215, 134 Stat. 281 (2020) (codified at 42 U.S.C. § 234 note).
65 See id. § 3215(d)(2).
66 See id. § 3215(a)(1), (d)(4).
67 See, e.g., 42 U.S.C. § 14503(a)(1)-(4), (g).
68 Pub. L. No. 105-19, 111 Stat. 218 (1997) (codified as amended at 42 U.S.C. §§ 14501 -14505).
69 See 42 U.S.C. § 14503(a) (establishing that a “volunteer of a nonprofit organization or governmental entity” is not
“liable for harm caused by an act or omission of the volunteer on behalf of the organization or entity if” certain
conditions apply).
70 See id.
71 See id. § 14505(6) (“The term ‘volunteer’ means an individual . . . .”) (emphasis added); id. § 14503(d) (“Nothing in
this section shall be construed to affect the liability of any nonprofit organization or governmental entity with respect to
harm caused to any person.”).
72 See id. § 14505(6) (defining “volunteer” for the purposes of the VPA).
73 See CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10508, COVID-19 and Liability Limitations for the Health Care Sector, by Wen W.
Shen.
74 See, e.g., Shani Rivaux et al., The Economic Recovery: States Offer Varied Liability Protections for Businesses,
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general, these liability shields, at minimum, insulate individual health-care professionals—
including non-volunteers—from liability related to COVID-19 care provided during the
emergency period.75 The protection general y does not extend to acts of wil ful or criminal
misconduct, gross negligence, and reckless misconduct.76 Beyond this baseline, state liability
shields vary in scope. Some, for instance, also extend liability protections to health-care facilities
and entities, such as hospitals and nursing homes, or to activities related to non-COVID-19 care if
the potential immunity holder’s pandemic response affected that care.77
As the incidence of COVID-19 continues to rise, a few states have also provided broader
immunity protections to businesses beyond the health care sector.78 These time-limited liability
shields general y insulate businesses from tort liabilities related to coronavirus exposure.79 Most
protections provided to date are conditioned upon the businesses’ substantial compliance with the
applicable federal, state, or local guidelines, and do not extend to acts of gross negligence or
reckless misconduct.80 As with the liability shields for the health care sector, the specific scope of
the protection varies among states. One state, for instance, has conditioned the immunity
protection on the businesses’ implementation of a plan to reduce the transmission of COVID-19.81
Other than exceptions for wil ful misconduct and reckless or intentional infliction of harm,
another state has provided immunity protection from exposure liability without additional
conditions.82
Sovereign Immunity
Besides these COVID-19-specific protections, some states also offer more general liability
protections to certain state entities. For instance, part of the COVID-19 liability debate concerns
whether and to what extent Congress should shield educational institutions from COVID-19
transmission claims.83 Under the law of some states, however, some public educational
institutions, such as school districts or state universities, may enjoy sovereign immunity84 from
certain tort lawsuits.85 Thus, a state or local entity’s current exposure to COVID-19-related tort

PILLSBURY WINTHROP STRAW PITTMAN LLP (July 13, 2020) (noting that 30 states have provided some form of liability
protection to health care providers).
75 See Shen, supra note 73.
76 See id.
77 See id.
78 See, e.g., Y. Peter Kang, 9 States with COVID-19 Biz Immunity, And 3 That May Follow, LAW360, available at
https://www.law360.com/articles/1287005/9-states-with-covid-19-biz-immunity-and-3-that-may-follow (June 26,
2020) (noting that as of June 26, 2020, Iowa, Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Wyoming, Utah,
Arkansas, and Alabama have provided liability shields to businesses either through legislation or executive orders).
79 See id.; see also, e.g., H.B. 826, 2020 Reg. Sess. (La. 2020).
80 See, e.g., H.B. 826, 2020 Reg. Sess. (La. 2020).
81 See H.B. 118, Session Law 2020-89, 2019 Sess. (N.C. 2020).
82 See S.B. 3007, 2020 3d. Spec. Sess. (Utah 2020).
83 See Letter from AASA et al. to Speaker Pelosi et al. re: T argeted Liability Coverage During the COVID-19
Pandemic (July 8, 2020), available at https://aasa.org/uploadedFiles/AASA_Blog(1)/LEA%20COVID-
19%20Liability%20Coverage%20NSBA%20AASA%20AESA%202020%20final%20.pdf (arguing that “ [s]chools
must have protection from unfair lawsuits”). See also, e.g., Open Schools Responsibly Act, H.R. 7710, 116th Cong. (2d
Sess. 2020).
84 “Sovereign immunity” is “[a] government’s immunity from being sued in its own courts without its consent.”
Im m unity, BLACK’S LAW DICTIONARY (11th ed. 2019).
85 See, e.g., O.S. v. Kan. City Pub. Schs., No. 13-0261-CV-W-DGK, 2013 WL 5636664, at *2 (W.D. Mo. Oct. 16,
2013) (explaining that “[i]n Missouri, public entities such as schools, school districts, and school boards are immune
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liability may depend in part on whether the state has waived or preserved the entity’s immunity
from such claims.86
Workers’ Compensation Laws
State laws can also abrogate tort liability for certain defendants by providing an alternate
compensation scheme. For instance, al states have enacted workers’ compensation laws that,
subject to various conditions, pay certain employees who sustain injuries at work.87 While the
specifics of those laws vary from state to state,88 workers’ compensation statutes general y al ow
an injured employee to obtain compensation without the burden of litigating a full-fledged tort
lawsuit or proving that the employer was at fault.89 In exchange for that remedy, however,
workers’ compensation laws usual y abrogate certain common law tort causes of action that the
injured employee might otherwise be able to assert against the employer.90 With exceptions that
can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction,91 workers’ compensation laws typical y bar injured
workers from bringing tort lawsuits against their employers by making workers’ compensation
the exclusive remedy for workplace injuries.92 State workers’ compensation laws may therefore

from most tort claims,” but noting that “the Missouri legislature and courts have grafted several exceptions t o the
general tort immunity principle”); S.N.B. v. Pearland Indep. Sch. Dist., 120 F. Supp. 3d 620, 631 (S.D. T ex. 2014)
(“Under the T exas T ort Claims Act, which represents the sole waiver of governmental immunity for torts, the only
permissible state tort claim that citizens can bring against a school district in T exas is a claim for misuse of a motor
vehicle.”); Franklin v. Hamm, No. 7:06-CV-121-HL, 2008 WL 2512658, at *4 (M.D. Ga. June 20, 2008) (holding that
Georgia law rendered school district immune from plaintiff’s tort claim); Rector & Visitors of Univ. of Va. v. Carter,
591 S.E.2d 76, 78 (Va. 2004) (holding that public university enjoyed sovereign immunity from tort claims under
Virginia law).
86 Cf., e.g., Franklin, 2008 WL 2512658, at *4 (explaining that the Georgia legislature may waive the sovereign
immunity that departments of the Georgia state government might otherwise enjoy).
87 See, e.g., Michael S. Jacobs, Towards a Process-Based Approach to Failure-to-Warn Claims, 71 N.C. L. REV. 121,
184 n.241 (1992) (“In all states, workers’ compensation laws provide to employees injured in the course of their
employment an exclusive statutory remedy against their employers [that] . . . establishes schedules of compensation
levels appropriate for each type of injury.”).
88 See, e.g., Philip D. Oliver, Once is Enough: A Proposed Bar of the Injured Employee’s Cause of Action Against a
Third Party, 58 FORDHAM L. REV. 117, 126 n.25 (1989) (“ Workers’ compensation statutes vary from state to state.”).
89 See, e.g., T heodore F. Haas, On Reintegrating Workers’ Compensation and Employers’ Liability, 21 GA. L. REV.
843, 846 (1987) (“[U]nlike tort law, workers’ compensation is a no -fault system. As long as the injury arises from his
employment and occurs in the course thereof, a worker is entitled to compensation. Compensation does not depend on a
showing that the employer was at fault . . . .”).
90 See, e.g., Jean C. Love, Actions for Nonphysical Harm, Relationship Between Tort System and No -Fault
Com pensation (With an Em phasis on Workers’ Com pensation), 73 CALIF. L. REV. 857, 874-75 (1985) (“Workers’
compensation is a compromise between employers and employees, whereby workers relinquished their common law
remedies for employment -related injuries in exchange for limited benefits that are paid promptly, efficiently, and
without proof of fault.”).
91 See, e.g., Haigh v. Matsushita Elec. Corp. of Am., 676 F. Supp. 1332, 1353 (E.D. Va. 1987) (observing that “[m]any
states have recognized an intentional tort exception to workers’ compensation exclusivity rules”). See also Avi
Weitzman et al., Em ployer Liability and Defenses from Suit for COVID-19-Related Exposures in the Workplace 5,
GIBSON DUNN (May 4, 2020), available at https://www.gibsondunn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/employer-
liability-and-defenses-from-suit-for-covid-19-related-exposures-in-the-workplace.pdf (“ While New York has a narrow
exception to the exclusive remedy doctrine, other states have broader exceptions . . . .”).
92 See, e.g., Mead v. Western Slate, Inc., 848 A.2d 257, 260 (Vt. 2004) (“Subject to certain limited exceptions,
Vermont’s workers’ compensation statute provides the exclusive remedy for workplace injuries. T he statute represents
a public policy compromise in which the employee gives up the right to sue the employer in tort in return for which the
employer assumes strict liability and the obligation to provide a speedy and certain remedy for work -related injuries.”)
(internal citations and quotation marks omitted); Fuller v. T enn. Valley Auth., 1:04 -cv-113, 2006 WL 8442978, at *2
(E.D. T enn. May 12, 2006) (explaining that under T ennessee law, “ workers’ compensation laws provide the exclusive
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bar employees who contract COVID-19 in their workplaces from suing their employers. To that
end, employer-defendants have invoked the workers’ compensation bar as a defense in several
cases in which employees al ege that their employers negligently caused them to contract
COVID-19.93 Further litigation wil likely reveal whether that defense ultimately succeeds.
The Element of Proximate Causation
Final y, the common law standards that govern the relevant causes of action may themselves
mitigate a defendant’s tort liability exposure in the COVID-19 context. As discussed above,94 to
prevail on a negligence claim, the plaintiff must usual y prove by a preponderance of the evidence
that the defendant proximately caused his injury.95 Because the coronavirus is both highly
contagious and invisible to the naked eye, however, a person who contracts COVID-19 may have
difficulty determining whether he or she became infected at work, at the store, on public
transportation, from a loved one, or from some other source.96 As a result, some COVID-19
plaintiffs may be unable to prove that they got sick because of the defendant’s actions or
omissions, rather than because of some other cause.97 Thus, COVID-19’s inherent characteristics
may natural y mitigate the liability risk that some defendants face.
That said, some practitioners maintain that litigants may be able to use genetic “fingerprinting”
technology to prove whether a person became infected with the coronavirus from a particular
source.98 Moreover, plaintiffs who al egedly became infected in a structure with minimal
opportunities for ingress and egress—such as a cruise ship99 or a nursing home100—may find it
easier to rule out alternate sources of infection.

remedy to a worker injured on the job, meaning the employee is precluded from seeking tort damages for the injury”).
93 See, e.g., Benjamin Motion to Dismiss, supra note 47, at 1 (arguing that the court should dismiss the plaintiff’s claims
“because the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act . . . provides the sole and exclusive mean s of recovery against
employers for any injuries that are alleged to have occurred within the scope of employment”); Defendant Walmart,
Inc.’s Section 2-619 Motion to Dismiss 1, Evans v. Walmart Inc., 2020 L 003938 (Ill. Cir. Ct. June 25, 2020) (arguing
that “ [a]ll of Plaintiff’s claims . . . are barred by the exclusive-remedy provisions of the Illinois Workers’
Compensation Act”).
94 See supra “Negligence.”
95 See, e.g., Russell v. K-Mart Corp., 761 A.2d 1, 5 (Del. 2000).
96 See, e.g., Daniel Hemel & Daniel Rodriguez, We can’t stop the pandemic unless we change liability law, WASH.
POST (July 28, 2020) (“ A customer who alleges that she was exposed to the virus at a particula r establishment would
need to show she ‘more likely than not’ contracted covid-19 there, and not from a family member or stranger or at
some other establishment. T hat will be hard . . . .”).
97 See, e.g., Ruger, supra note 18; Adamy, supra note 2.
98 See Adam Dinnell, Genetic “Fingerprinting” May Be Key In Virus Exposure Suits, LAW360, https://www.
law360.com/articles/1267057/genetic-fingerprinting-may-be-key-in-virus-exposure-suits (Apr. 27, 2020) (“ [H]ow can
you pinpoint the actual source [of the coronavirus] when every form of human contact . . . may be an exposure
pathway? . . . . Part of the answer may lie in genetic sequence-based typing . . . . T his matching process allows
scientists to draw conclusions about how someone may have contracted the illness.”).
99 See supra note 4 and accompanying text.
100 See supra note 6 and accompanying text.
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Other Existing Laws that Could Affect COVID-19-Related Liability
In addition to substantive laws that create or limit the relevant causes of actions, other existing
laws—including those pertaining to tort remedies and the procedures that govern tort lawsuits—
can also affect COVID-19-related liability.101
Laws Governing Tort Remedies
In a typical tort lawsuit, in addition to proving the elements of a cause of action, the plaintiff must
also prove the amount of damages she seeks to recover.102 There are several types of potential
monetary damages, including compensatory damages and punitive damages.103 Compensatory
damages—which can include economic and noneconomic damages—attempt to make a plaintiff
“whole” by providing her with enough money to cover the actual amount of the injury or loss.104
Economic damages general y compensate the plaintiff for pecuniary losses.105 In a COVID-19-
related tort suit, economic damages could include the cost of diagnostic testing and medical
treatments, rehabilitation expenses, and lost wages.106 Noneconomic damages attempt to
compensate the plaintiff for nonpecuniary losses—such as pain and suffering—that are more
difficult to quantify.107 Punitive damages are damages awarded in addition to compensatory
damages that are solely intended to punish the defendant for her conduct.108 Such damages are
typical y unavailable unless the plaintiff can prove that the defendant engaged in, for instance,
“outrageous conduct”109 or is guilty of “malice, willfulness or wanton disregard for the rights and
safety of others.”110
Once the overal amount of a plaintiff’s damages is determined, several common law doctrines
may affect the amount of those damages for which a particular defendant is liable. Under the
doctrine of joint and several liability, for instance, each tortfeasor is responsible for the entire
amount of damages awarded in a judgment.111 A defendant that pays the entire judgment then
typical y has a right to sue others who al egedly contributed to the plaintiff’s injury—i.e., “joint
tortfeasors”—to obtain their contribution to the judgment.112 The collateral source rule, on the
other hand, al ows a plaintiff to recover full damages from a defendant even if the plaintiff has

101 See, e.g., Georgene Vairo, The Role of Influence in the Arc of Tort “Reform ,” 65 EMORY L.J. 1741, 1745 (2016);
Julie Davies, Reform ing the Tort Reform Agenda, 25 WASH. U. J.L. & POL’Y 119, 130-31 (2007).
102 Lewis, Introduction, supra note 1.
103 See id.
104 See id.
105 See id.
106 See id.
107 See id.
108 See id.
109 See, e.g., Smith v. Chapman, 564 P.2d 900, 903 (Ariz. 1977).
110 See, e.g., Freeman v. Anderson, 651 S.W.2d 450, 452 (Ark. 1983).
111 See Davies, supra note 101, at 135 n.71; see also, e.g., Am. Motorcycle Ass’n v. Superior Court, 578 P.2d 899, 903-
05 (Cal. 1978) (reviewing the common law principles of joint and several liability).
112 See, e.g., Sitzes v. Anchor Motor Freight, Inc., 389 S.E.2d 678, 685 -89 (W. Va. 1982) (reviewing the development
of the right to contribution among joint tortfeasors). Many jurisdictions that provide a right of contribution also limit a
tortfeasor’s contribution amount based on the degree of fault attributable to that tortfeasor. See id.
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received compensation for their injuries from other sources, such as insurance or gratuitous
payments.113
Constitutional and statutory limitations may cap or otherwise restrict the amount and types of
damages that a plaintiff may recover.114 The Supreme Court, for instance, has held that the Due
Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits courts from imposing “grossly excessive”
punitive damages.115 Many states have also enacted caps that limit the amount of noneconomic or
punitive damages recoverable by plaintiffs in tort cases general y, and more specifical y in
medical malpractice cases.116 Some states have statutorily modified the collateral source rule to
al ow certain types of compensation that a plaintiff receives from other sources, such as insurance
proceeds, to reduce a defendant’s liability.117 Some states have eliminated joint and several
liability completely while others have eliminated it for noneconomic damages.118 Certain federal
liability shields that provide various exceptions to immunity, such as the PREP Act and the VPA,
also include restrictions on noneconomic or punitive damages awards.119
Procedural Rules
In addition to substantive laws, tort lawsuits are subject to procedural rules that govern where,
when, and how a tort lawsuit may proceed.120 While they do not create substantive liabilities or
remedies, these procedural rules can nevertheless have an important effect on tort liabilities by
affecting a plaintiff’s ability to file and prevail in a lawsuit.121 Procedural rules can, for instance,
establish certain requirements that a plaintiff must satisfy prior to filing a suit, the standards
governing various pleadings and motions, and the timing and scope of permissible discovery.122 A
heightened pleading standard that requires a plaintiff to assert more specific al egations in a

113 See Davies, supra note 101, at 142 n.107; see also, e.g., Bozeman v. State, 879 So. 2d 692, 697-98 (La. 2004)
(reviewing the common law principles underlying the collateral source rule).
114 See infra notes 115-119 and accompanying text.
115 See, e.g., Campbell v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 538 U.S. 408, 412, 416-18 (2003) (holding that an award of
$145 million in punitive damages, where the compensatory damages were $1 million, was constitutionally excessive).
T he Supreme Court has held that as a matter of federal maritime common law, in a case with “ no earmarks of
exceptional blameworthiness” such as intentional or malicious conduct, a 1:1 ratio of punitive to compensatory
damages sets the upper limit of punitive damages. Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker, 554 U.S. 471, 513 (2008).
116 See Davies, supra note 101, at 139-42 (describing caps on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases); see
also Ctr. for Justice and Democracy at New York Law School, Fact Sheet: Caps on Com pensatory Dam ages: A State
Law Sum m ary, https://centerjd.org/content/fact-sheet-caps-compensatory-damages-state-law-summary (June 20, 2019)
(summarizing state law caps on compensatory damages and noting that a few states, instead of capping only
noneconomic damages, have caps on total damages in medical malpractice cases); Kristine Cordier Karnezis,
Annotation, Validity of State Statutory Cap of Punitive Dam ages, 103 A.L.R. 5TH 379 (2002).
117 See Davies, supra note 101, at 142-44.
118 See id. at 144-45.
119 See 42 U.S.C. § 247d-6d(e)(8) (limiting noneconomic damages to “an amount directly proportional to the
percentage of responsibility of a defendant for the harm to the plaintiff”); id. § 14504 (similar limitation on a
volunteer’s liability for noneconomic damages); id. § 14503(f) (prohibiting award of punitive damages against a
volunteer unless the plaintiff establishes “by clear and convincing evidence that the harm was proximately caused by an
action of such volunteer which constitutes willful or criminal misconduct, or a conscious, flagrant indifference to the
rights or safety of the individual harmed”).
120 See CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10118, Tort and Litigation Reform in the 115th Congress, by Kevin M. Lewis.
121 See, e.g., id.
122 See, e.g., CRS In Focus IF11557, Congress, the Judiciary, and Civil and Criminal Procedure, by Joanna R. Lampe.
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complaint, for example, may subject the complaint to early dismissal if a court concludes that the
complaint’s al egations do not meet the requisite standard.123
The procedural rules that apply to a tort lawsuit depend on the forum in which the suit is
proceeding. In general, state courts have original jurisdiction—or the power to preside in the first
instance—over state law tort suits.124 However, plaintiffs may also bring cases based entirely on
state law in federal courts.125 Under the federal courts’ “diversity jurisdiction,” a plaintiff may
general y file a state law tort suit in federal court if the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000
and the suit is between citizens of different states or between a citizen of a state and an alien.126
For the subset of tort suits meeting these requirements, the plaintiff has the initial choice of
bringing the case in state or federal court. If the plaintiff chooses to file in state court, however,
the defendant may have a statutory right to “remove” the case to a federal court.127 This right to
remove is subject to certain limitations and conditions, including the consent of al defendants
that have been served with the complaint.128
Suits proceeding in state courts are subject to each state’s own procedural rules, which vary from
state to state.129 In contrast, civil cases proceeding in federal district courts under diversity
jurisdiction are subject to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP).130 The FRCP,
promulgated by the Supreme Court pursuant to the Rules Enabling Act, addresses procedural
issues at al steps of civil litigation in federal district courts, from the initiation of a civil case to
the issuance of final judgments.131 Rule 8 of the FRCP, for instance, sets forth the general
requirements that govern a plaintiff’s complaint and other pleadings. It requires “a short and plain
statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.”132 Under this requirement, a
plaintiff must al ege enough facts that, if accepted as true, would “state a claim to relief that is
plausible on its face.”133 Under the FRCP, only certain specified matters—such as fraud or
mistake—are subject to a heightened pleading standard that requires a plaintiff to plead these
matters with “particularity.”134 Rule 26, as another example, general y gives parties, subject to

123 See, e.g., Khalik v. United Air Lines, 471 F.3d 1188, 1193 (10th Cir. 2012) (affirming dismissal of plaintiff’s T itle
VII claims for employment discrimination because plaintiff made only “general assertions of discrimination and
retaliation, without any details whatsoever of events leading up to her termination”).
124 See U.S. DEP’T OF JUSTICE, OFFICE OF THE U.S. ATTORNEYS, Introduction to the Federal Court System ,
https://www.justice.gov/usao/justice-101/federal-courts (last visited Aug. 10, 2020).
125 See id.
126 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a). In contrast, cases “arising under” federal law (commonly known as “arising under” or “federal
question” jurisdiction) are not subject to these limits and may be generally filed in federal court. See U.S. CONST. Art.
III, § 2, cl. 1.
127 28 U.S.C. § 1441(a).
128 Id. § 1446(b)(2)(A).
129 See, e.g. Stephen N. Subring & T homas O. Main, Breaking the Rules: Why State Courts Should Not Replicate
Am endm ents to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 67 CASE W. RES. L. REV. 501, 531-33 (2016).
130 See 19 FED. PRAC. & PROC. JURIS. § 4508 (3d ed.).
131 Lampe, supra note 122.
132 FED. R. CIV. P. 8(a)(2).
133 Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009).
134 See FED. R. CIV. P. 9(b)-(c); see also, e.g., DiLeo v. Ernst & Young, 901 F.2d 624, 627 (7th Cir. 1990) (explaining
that the particularity standard typically requires the plaintiff to plead “the who, what, when, where, and how” of the
alleged fraud or mistake).
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consideration of certain factors, the right to “obtain discovery regarding any nonprivileged matter
that is relevant to any party’s claim or defense and proportional to the needs of the case.”135
In general, Congress possesses ample authority to modify the jurisdiction, structure, and
procedures of the federal courts.136 As discussed in greater detail below,137 Congress’s authority
“[t]o constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court,”138 augmented by the Necessary and
Proper Clause,139 “carries with it congressional power to make rules governing the practice and
pleading in those courts.”140 Congress has exercised these authorities to modify the procedural
rules that govern a specified set of civil actions.141 Under the PREP Act, for instance, the liability
shield that bars most tort suits arising from the use and administration of certain specified medical
products142 does not extend to death or serious physical injury proximately caused by wil ful
misconduct.143 For this subset of lawsuits, the PREP Act designates the U.S. District Court for the
District of Columbia as the exclusive forum to adjudicate these suits.144 In addition to limiting
jurisdiction over these cases to one federal district court, the PREP Act also modifies the
applicable pleading and discovery rules for these suits.145 As to pleadings, the PREP Act imposes
certain additional requirements on a complaint, including heightened pleading standards,146 a
verification requirement,147 and certain documentation requirements.148 The PREP Act also
prohibits the parties from initiating discovery until the court resolves any motions to dismiss the
complaint filed by a defendant,149 and only al ows the parties to obtain discovery regarding
matters “directly related to the material issues contested in such action.”150

135 See FED. R. CIV. P. 26(b)(1).
136 See Patchak v. Zinke, 138 S. Ct. 897, 906-07 (2018).
137 See infra “Article I, Section 8, Clause 9.”
138 U.S. CONST. art. I, § 8, cl. 9.
139 See infra “T he Necessary and Proper Clause.”
140 Hanna v. Plumer, 380 U.S. 460, 472 (1965).
141 See 42 U.S.C. § 247d-6d(e).
142 See supra “T he PREP Act.”
143 42 U.S.C. § 247d-6d(d). In the COVID-19 context, the PREP Act’s liability shield would not, for instance, extend to
willful misconduct related to the use of a respiratory protective device—a designated “ covered countermeasure” under
the law—if the misconduct proximately causes death or serious physical injury. See id. § 247d-6d(i)(1)(D).
144 Id. § 247d-6d(e)(1).
145 See id. § 247d-6d(e).
146 Id. § 247d-6d(e)(3) (requiring a complaint to specify (1) each act or omission, by each covered person sued, that is
alleged to constitute willful misconduct relating to the covered countermeasure administered to or used by the injured
person; (2) facts supporting the allegation that such alleged willful misconduct proximately caused the injury claimed;
and (3) facts supporting the allegation that the person injured suffered death or serious physical injury).
147 Id. § 247d-6d(e)(4)(B) (requiring a plaintiff to verify a complaint by affidavit under oath, stating that the pleading is
true to the knowledge of the affiant, except as to matters specifically identified as being alleged on information and
belief, and that as to those matters the plaintiff believes it t o be true).
148 Id. § 247d-6d(e)(4)(C) (requiring a complaint to be filed be filed with two documents: (1) a physician affidavit
certifying and explaining the basis of the physician’s belief that the injured person suffered the serious physical injury
or death alleged in the complaint and that such injury or death was proximately caused by the administration or use of a
covered countermeasure; and (2) certified medical records documenting such injury or death and such proximate causal
connection).
149 Id. § 247d-6d(e)(6)(A).
150 Id. § 247d-6d(e)(6)(B).
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Proposals to Modify Existing Law and Issues for Congress
As plaintiffs continue to file tort lawsuits seeking compensation for physical injuries resulting
from exposure to the coronavirus or treatment of COVID-19, the 116th Congress has introduced
various bil s in response to this debate. Several legislative proposals would shield certain
defendants from COVID-19-related tort liability under specified conditions.151 One such proposal
that has attracted a significant amount of attention152 is the Safeguarding America’s Frontline
Employees to Offer Work Opportunities Required to Kickstart the Economy Act (SAFE TO
WORK Act), which is the liability protection component of the Health, Economic Assistance,
Liability Protection and Schools Act (HEALS Act).153 Subject to various conditions and
exceptions,
 Subtitle A of Title I of the SAFE TO WORK Act would protect various
individuals and entities from liability for certain lawsuits al eging that the
defendant caused the plaintiff to become exposed to the coronavirus;154
 Subtitle B of Title I would shield healthcare providers from various forms of
coronavirus-related medical liability;155

151 Bills pending in the 116th Congress that propose to establish certain COVID-19 liability protections include (but are
not necessarily limited to):
• The Safeguarding America’s Frontline Employees to Offer Work Opportunities Required to Kickstart the
Economy Act (SAFE T O WORK Act), S. 4317, 116th Cong. (2d Sess. 2020);
• The Open Schools Responsibly Act, H.R. 7710, 116th Cong. (2d Sess. 2020);
• The Get America Back to Work Act, H.R. 7528, 116th Cong. (2d Sess. 2020);
• The Pandemic Liability Protection Act, H.R. 7179, 116th Cong. (2d Sess. 2020);
• The Protecting Reopening Businesses Recovering from COVID-19 Act, S. 3915, 116th Cong. (2d Sess. 2020);
• The Coronavirus Provider Protection Act, H.R. 7059, 116th Cong. (2d Sess. 2020);
• The Service Assurance Act of 2020, H.R. 6976, 116th Cong. (2d Sess. 2020);
• The Protecting Protein Production and Consumer Access Act of 2020, H.R. 6883, 116th Cong. (2d Sess. 2020);
• The Employer and Employee COVID Protection Act, H.R. 6844, 116th Cong. § 2(a)-(b) (2d Sess. 2020);
• The Facilitating Innovation to Fight Coronavirus Act, S. 3630, 116th Cong. § 2 (2d Sess. 2020);
• The Coronavirus Public Safety and Economic Recovery Act, H.R. 6664, 116th Cong. § 4 (2d Sess. 2020); and
• A bill to require a particular jury instruction in Federal civil actions that include a claim for damages based on
negligence arising from the transmission of COVID-19, H.R. 6601, 116th Cong. (2d Sess. 2020).
T his report discusses many of these proposals below. See infra “ Designing the Proposal.”
152 See, e.g., Bolton, supra note 12; Adamy, supra note 2.
153 See S. 4317, 116th Cong. (2d Sess. 2020). T he Delivering Immediate Relief to America’s Families, Schools and
Small Businesses Act, which Majority Leader McConnell proposed as an amendment to the UIGHUR Act of 2019 (S.
178, 116th Congress) on September 8, 2020, included the SAFE T O WORK Act as one of its titles. See S. Amdt. 2652
to S. 178, 116th Cong. §§ 2001-2301 (2d Sess. 2020). On September 10, 2020, the Senate voted 52 -47 not to invoke
cloture on that amendment. See 166 CONG. REC. S5532-33 (daily ed. Sept. 10, 2020). T he RECOVERY Act, S. 4537,
116th Cong. §§ 111-171 (2d Sess. 2020), also incorporates the SAFE T O WORK Act as one of its subtitles.
154 See S. 4317, 116th Cong. §§ 121-122 (2d Sess. 2020). See also id. § 3(4) (defining “coronavirus exposure action”).
155 See id. §§ 141-142. See also id. § 3(7) (defining “coronavirus-related medical liability action”).
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 Subtitle C would modify the substantive and procedural rules that govern certain
COVID-19-related lawsuits;156
 Subtitle D would insulate employers from COVID-19-related liability under
specified federal employment laws;157 and
 Title II would modify certain liability protections in the PREP Act.158
This bil and other legislative proposals to shield defendants from COVID-19-related tort liability
implicate a wide array of legal considerations.
Source of Constitutional Authority
Perhaps the most fundamental question is which provision of the U.S. Constitution (if any)
authorizes Congress to enact federal legislation abrogating state tort liability in the COVID-19
context.159 Because the Framers of the U.S. Constitution structured the federal government as a
government of limited powers, there are limits on the types of legislation that Congress may
constitutional y enact.160 As another CRS report explores in depth,161 Congress may not enact a
particular law unless an enumerated power in the Constitution authorizes Congress to pass it.162
Thus, when evaluating any particular proposal to shield entities from COVID-19-related tort
liability, Congress must consider not only whether the proposal fal s within one of Congress’s
enumerated powers, but also how to structure the proposal so that it does not exceed Congress’s
legislative authority.
The Commerce Clause
The Constitution’s Commerce Clause, for instance, authorizes Congress to pass legislation to
“regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian
Tribes.”163 The Supreme Court has interpreted the Commerce Clause to empower Congress to
enact three types of federal legislation:
1. Laws regulating the channels of interstate or foreign commerce;
2. Laws regulating either
a. the instrumentalities of interstate or foreign commerce or
b. persons or things in interstate or foreign commerce; and
3. Laws regulating activities that substantially affect interstate or foreign commerce.164

156 See id. §§ 161-164.
157 See id. §§ 181-184.
158 See id. § 201. See supra “T he PREP Act.”
159 See generally CRS Report R45323, Federalism-Based Limitations on Congressional Power: An Overview,
coordinated by Andrew Nolan and Kevin M. Lewis.
160 See, e.g., United States v. Lopez, 514 U.S. 549, 566 (1995) (“Congress’ authority is limited to those powers
enumerated in the Constitution . . . . T he Constitution [withholds] from Congress a plenary police power that would
authorize enactment of every type of legislation.”).
161 See Nolan, supra note 159, at 1-24.
162 See, e.g., United States v. Morrison, 529 U.S. 598, 607 (2000) (“Every law enacted by Congress must be based on
one or more of its powers enumerated in the Constitution.”).
163 U.S. CONST. art. I, § 8, cl. 3.
164 See, e.g., Morrison, 529 U.S. at 608-09.
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Congress’s power to regulate activities in the third category includes some authority to regulate
purely intrastate activities “that are part of an economic ‘class of activities’ that have a substantial
effect on interstate commerce.”165 For instance, the Supreme Court held in Gonzales v. Raich that
Congress may constitutional y prohibit the purely intrastate production and consumption of
marijuana if it concludes that leaving those activities unregulated could undercut federal
regulation of the interstate market for marijuana.166 However, Congress’s power to regulate
intrastate activities that substantial y affect interstate commerce general y does not extend to
noneconomic activities.167 Thus, to il ustrate, the Supreme Court ruled in United States v.
Morrison that the Commerce Clause does not empower Congress to create a federal civil remedy
for victims of intrastate gender-motivated violence168 because committing gender-motivated
violence is not an economic activity.169
When evaluating whether a particular federal statute constitutes a permissible exercise of
Congress’s Commerce Clause power, courts examine:
1. Whether the activity that the statute regulates relates to commerce or some sort
of economic enterprise;
2. Whether the statute contains an “express jurisdictional element”—that is, a
provision that explicitly limits the statute’s application to activities in or affecting
interstate commerce;
3. Whether Congress made express findings or assembled a legislative record
detailing the regulated activity’s effect on interstate commerce; and
4. Whether the relationship between the regulated activity and interstate commerce
is too attenuated to be substantial.170
None of these considerations is necessarily dispositive, however. Courts have periodical y upheld
Commerce Clause legislation that did not include an express jurisdictional element171 or did not
contain factual findings regarding the regulated activity’s effect on interstate commerce.172

165 Gonzales v. Raich, 545 U.S. 1, 17 (2005) (quoting Perez v. United States, 402 U.S. 146, 15 1 (1971)) (emphasis
added).
166 See id. at 22, 26 (“[W]e have no difficulty concluding that Congress had a rational basis for believing that failure to
regulate the intrastate manufacture and possession of marijuana would leave a gaping hole in the [Controll ed
Substances Act (CSA)] . . . . T he CSA is a statute that regulates the production, distribution, and consumption of
commodities for which there is an established, and lucrative, interstate market. Prohibiting the intrastate possession or
manufacture of an article of commerce is a rational (and commonly utilized) means of regulating commerce in that
product . . . Because the CSA is a statute that directly regulates economic, commercial activity, our opinion in Morrison
casts no doubt on its constitutionality.”).
167 See, e.g., Morrison, 529 U.S. at 611 (“[I]n those cases where we have sustained federal regulation of intrastate
activity based on the activity’s substantial effects on interstate commerce, the activity in question has been some sort of
economic endeavor.”).
168 Id. at 601-02.
169 See id. at 617 (“We . . . reject the argument that Congress may regulate noneconomic, violent criminal conduct
based solely on that conduct’s aggregate effect on interstate commerce.”). See also United States v. Lopez, 514 U.S.
549, 551, 561 (1995) (holding that the Commerce Clause did not authorize Congress to prohibit individuals from
possessing firearms in school zones because possessing a gun near a school “has nothing to do with ‘commerce’ or any
sort of economic enterprise”).
170 See, e.g., Rancho Viejo, LLC v. Norton, 323 F.3d 1062, 1068 -69 (D.C. Cir. 2003); Norton v. Ashcroft, 298 F.3d
547, 555-59 (6th Cir. 2002).
171 See, e.g., Rancho Viejo, 323 F.3d at 1068 (“[T ]he absence of an express jurisdictional element is not fatal to a
statute’s constitutionality under the Commerce Clause.”).
172 See, e.g., id. at 1069 (“[N]either findings nor legislative history is necessary.”).
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Conversely, the mere fact that a federal statute includes such findings or an express jurisdictional
element does not necessarily guarantee that the law constitutes valid Commerce Clause
legislation.173
As relevant here, courts have applied these principles when considering constitutional chal enges
to federal laws shielding defendants from liability. In 2005, Congress enacted the Protection of
Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA),174 which prohibits plaintiffs from filing specified
lawsuits against firearm manufacturers or sel ers based on the plaintiff’s or another person’s
unlawful misuse of a firearm.175 Congress specifical y limited the PLCAA’s applicability to
manufacturers, products, and sel ers with a connection to interstate or foreign commerce.176 The
PLCAA also included a factual findings provision expressing Congress’s determination that
“imposing liability on an entire industry for harm that is solely caused by others” would
“constitute[] an unreasonable burden on interstate and foreign commerce.”177
The City of New York chal enged the PLCAA’s constitutionality in court, arguing that the
Commerce Clause did not authorize Congress to enact the law because civil litigation against gun
manufacturers is a non-commercial activity.178 The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
(Second Circuit) rejected the City’s Commerce Clause chal enge.179 The court observed “that the
firearms industry is interstate—indeed, international—in nature.”180 Citing Congress’s factual
findings regarding the effect that the covered litigation would have on interstate and foreign
commerce, the court opined that “Congress rationally perceived a substantial effect on the
industry of the litigation that the [PLCAA sought] to curtail.”181 Emphasizing that Congress had
limited the statute’s applicability to defendants and activities with an interstate commerce nexus,
the court determined that “the PLCAA raises no concerns about Congressional intrusion into
‘truly local’ matters.”182 The court therefore ruled that the PLCAA did not exceed Congress’s

173 See, e.g., Morrison, 529 U.S. at 614 (“T he existence of congressional findings is not sufficient, by itself, to sustain
the constitutionality of Commerce Clause legislation.”); Norton, 298 F.3d at 557 (“[A] jurisdictional element does not
guarantee that a particular enactment will pass muster.”).
174 See Pub. L. No. 109-92 §§ 1-4, 119 Stat. 2095 (2005) (codified at 15 U.S.C. §§ 7901 -7903).
175 See 15 U.S.C. § 7902(a) (“A qualified civil liability action may not be brought in any Federal or State court.”); id.
§ 7903(5) (defining “ qualified civil liability action” to include, with various exceptions, “ a civil action or proceeding or
an administrative proceeding brought by any person against a manufacturer or seller of a qualified product, or a trade
association, for damages, punitive damages, injunctive or declaratory relief, abatement, restitution, fines, or penalties,
or other relief, resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse of a qualified product by the person or a third party”); id.
§ 7903(4) (defining “ qualified product” to include, among other things, certain firearms).
176 See, e.g., id. § 7903(2) (“The term ‘manufacturer’ means, with respect to a qualified product, a person who is
engaged in the business of manufacturing the product in interstate or foreign com m erce . . . .”) (emphasis added); id.
§ 7903(4) (“ The term ‘qualified product’ means a firearm . . . that has been shipped or transported in interstate or
foreign com m erce.”) (emphasis added); id. § 7903(6) (defining “ seller” to require a connection to interstate or foreign
commerce).
177 Id. § 7901(a)(6). See also id. § 7901(b)(4) (stating that one of the PLCAA’s purposes was “[t]o prevent the use of
such lawsuits to impose unreasonable burdens on interstate and foreign commerce”).
178 See City of New York v. Beretta U.S.A. Corp., 524 F.3d 384, 392-93 (2d Cir. 2008).
179 See id. at 393-95.
180 Id. at 394.
181 Id. at 395.
182 Id. at 394 (quoting United States v. Morrison, 529 U.S. 598, 618 (2000)).
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Commerce Clause authority.183 Other courts later adopted the Second Circuit’s reasoning to reject
similar constitutional chal enges to the PLCAA.184
The PLCAA cases suggest that statutory liability protections that are explicitly tailored to apply
only to defendants who operate in interstate commerce, or to economic activities that
substantial y affect interstate commerce, may be more likely to survive judicial scrutiny than a
statutory liability protection that applies to defendants engaging in intrastate, noneconomic
activities.185 An express jurisdictional element limiting the statute’s application to persons or
activities with a connection to interstate commerce may further bolster the law’s constitutional
validity.186 Including factual findings about COVID-19-related litigation’s effect on interstate
commerce could also make it more difficult for plaintiffs to successfully chal enge the
legislation.187
The SAFE TO WORK Act, for example, contains several elements that could potential y render
the bil less vulnerable to Commerce Clause chal enges.188 First, the bil contains explicit factual
findings about the effect that unregulated COVID-19-related litigation could have on interstate
commerce.189 Secondly, Subtitle A of Title I of the bil only applies to individuals and entities
who are “engaged in businesses, services, activities, or accommodations”190—a term that the bil
defines to include activities connected to interstate or foreign commerce.191

183 Id. at 395 (“Congress has not exceeded its authority in this case . . . .”).
184 See Adames v. Sheahan, 909 N.E.2d 742, 765 (Ill. 2009) (“We agree with the decision of the Court of Appeals in
City of New York v. Beretta . . . [T ]he PLCAA is a valid exercise of the federal power to regulate interstate commerce
. . . .”); Ileto v. Glock, Inc., 565 F.3d 1126, 1140 (9th Cir. 2009) (“ Congress carefully constrained the [PLCAA]’s reach
to the confines of the Commerce Clause.”).
185 See, e.g., Morrison, 529 U.S. at 611; Rancho Viejo, LLC v. Norton, 323 F.3d 1062, 1068 (D.C. Cir. 2003); City of
New York, 524 F.3d at 394-95.
186 See, e.g., Rancho Viejo, 323 F.3d at 1068 (quoting United States v. Lopez, 514 U.S. 549, 561 -62 (1995)).
187 See, e.g., City of New York, 524 F.3d at 395; Rancho Viejo, 323 F.3d at 1069.
188 See generally S. 4317, 116th Cong. (2d Sess. 2020).
189 See, e.g., id. § 2(a)(12) (“One of the chief impediments to the continued flow of interstate commerce as [the
COVID-19] public health crisis has unfolded is the risk of litigation.”) (emphasis added); id. § 2(a)(14) (“ These
lawsuits pose a substantial risk to interstate com m erce . . . .”) (emphasis added); id. § 2(a)(16) (“ T he aggregation of
each individual potential liability risk poses a substantial and unprecedented threat to interstate com m erce . . . .”)
(emphasis added); id. § 2(a)(17) (“ The accumulated economic risks for these potential defendants directly and
substantially affects interstate com m erce.”) (emphasis added); id. § 2(a)(18) (“ Lawsuits against health care workers and
facilities pose a similarly dangerous risk to interstate com m erce.”) (emphasis added); id. § 2(b)(6) (stating that
“protect[ing] interstate commerce from the burdens of potentially meritless litigation” is one of the SAFE T O WORK
Act’s purposes) (emphasis added).
190 See id. § 122(a) (emphasis added).
191 See id. § 3(2) (“T he term ‘businesses, services, activities, or accommodations’ means any act by an individual or
entity, irrespective of whether the act is carried on for profit, that is interstate or foreign com m erce, that involves
persons or things in interstate or foreign com m erce, that involves the channels or instrum entalities of interstate or
foreign com m erce, that substantially affects interstate or foreign com m erce, or that is otherwise an act subject to
regulation by Congress as necessary or proper to carry into execution Congress’s powers to regulate interstate or
foreign commerce or to spend funds for the general welfare.”) (emphasis added). T he last clause of this definition,
however, could potentially include acts that are not connected to interstate or foreign commerce. As discussed below,
the SAFE T O WORK Act purports to invoke the Constitution’s Necessary and Proper Clause to regulate those non-
commerce-related activities. See infra “ T he Necessary and Proper Clause.”
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The Spending Clause
The Spending Clause, which authorizes Congress to “lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and
Excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United
States,” is another source of constitutional authority that Congress could potential y invoke to
enact COVID-19 liability shield legislation.192 Subject to various limitations, the Spending Clause
empowers Congress to indirectly regulate activities that it cannot regulate directly under the
Constitution by imposing conditions on federal funds.193
The Supreme Court’s decision in South Dakota v. Dole il ustrates how Spending Clause
legislation works.194 In that case, the State of South Dakota chal enged the constitutionality of a
federal law that encouraged states to raise their minimum drinking ages to 21 by withholding a
percentage of federal highway funds from states with lower minimum ages.195 South Dakota
argued—and the Court assumed for the sake of argument—that the Twenty-First Amendment to
the U.S. Constitution196 would bar Congress from regulating drinking ages directly.197
Nevertheless, the Court ruled that the Spending Clause al owed Congress to indirectly regulate
drinking ages by imposing conditions on federal funds.198
Congress has also occasional y exercised its spending power to shield particular entities from
liability. For example, the Paul D. Coverdel Teacher Protection Act of 2001 (Coverdel Act)199
insulates certain educators and school officials from liability for some acts or omissions they
commit while disciplining students or maintaining classroom order.200 The Coverdel Act
expressly states that it “only appl[ies] to States that receive funds under” a federal law intended to
strengthen and improve elementary and secondary schools, and “shal apply to such a State as a
condition of receiving such funds.”201 At least one court has upheld the Coverdel Act as a valid
exercise of Congress’s Spending Clause authority.202 This case suggests that Congress could
potential y require states, as a condition to receiving certain federal funds (such as COVID-19
relief funds), to modify their tort laws to protect specified entities from COVID-19-related
liability.

192 See U.S. CONST. art. I, § 8, cl. 1.
193 See Nolan, supra note 159, at 4-6, 28-35.
194 483 U.S. 203 (1987).
195 See id. at 205.
196 T he T wenty-First Amendment repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, which (among other things) prohibited the
manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors. Com pare U.S. CONST. amend. XXI § 1, with U.S. CONST.
amend. XVIII § 1.
197 See 483 U.S. at 205-06.
198 See id. at 212 (“Even if Congress might lack the power to impose a national minimum age directly, we conclude that
encouragement to state action found in [the challenged minimum drinking age law] is a valid use of the spending
power.”).
199 See 20 U.S.C. § 7941. But see id. § 7946(a), (d) (creating various exceptions and limitations to the Coverdell Act’s
liability protections).
200 See id. § 7946(a) (“[N]o teacher in a school shall be liable for harm caused by an act or omission of the teacher on
behalf of the school if . . . . the actions of the teacher were carried out . . . in furtherance of efforts to control, disci pline,
expel, or suspend a student or maintain order or control in the classroom or school . . . .”).
201 Id. § 7944.
202 See Dydell v. T aylor, 332 S.W.3d 848, 851-57 (Mo. 2011) (“The Coverdell Act is a permissible exercise of
Congress’ spending power.”).
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As another CRS product explains in detail,203 however, there are several critical limits to
Congress’s Spending Clause authority.204 Of particular relevance here is the requirement that the
funding condition cannot be coercive—that is, Congress may not subject so much money to the
condition that the state has no real choice but to assent to it.205 Put another way, the funding may
incentivize a state to accede to the condition, but may not effectively force the state’s hand.206
A significant point follows from this principle: Whereas a liability shield that Congress enacted
under the Commerce Clause would (if valid) apply uniformly in al jurisdictions, a liability shield
that Congress enacted under the Spending Clause might not apply nationwide if certain states
opted to forgo federal funding instead of modifying their tort laws. Thus, even though invoking
the Spending Clause to enact COVID-19 liability legislation may al ow Congress to regulate
intrastate, noneconomic activities that might fal outside the Commerce Clause’s reach, Spending
Clause legislation might not have a uniform, nationwide effect.
The Necessary and Proper Clause
The Constitution’s Necessary and Proper Clause could also potential y supplement Congress’s
authority to enact a federal COVID-19 tort liability shield.207 That Clause authorizes Congress to
“make al Laws which shal be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution” its other
enumerated powers, as wel as “al other Powers vested by th[e] Constitution in the Government
of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.”208 The Necessary and Proper
Clause is not an independent grant of legislative authority per se,209 but rather al ows Congress to
pass laws that are “convenient,” “useful,” or “conducive” to the “beneficial exercise” of its
enumerated powers.210
The SAFE TO WORK Act purports to invoke the Necessary and Proper Clause as an auxiliary
source of constitutional authority to limit COVID-19-related liability.211 The bil ’s findings
section states that “establishing temporary rules governing liability for certain coronavirus-related
tort claims is a necessary and proper means of” executing Congress’s Commerce Clause power
given “the national scope of the economic and health care dangers posed by the risks of
coronavirus-related lawsuits.”212 The bil also finds that COVID-19-related tort lawsuits “risk

203 See Nolan, supra note 159, at 28-35.
204 See, e.g., South Dakota v. Dole, 483 U.S. 203, 207 (1987) (“The spending power is of course not unlimited, but is
instead subject to several general restrictions articulated in our cases.”) (internal citations omitted).
205 See Nat’l Fed’n of Indep. Bus. v. Sebelius, 567 U.S. 519, 581-82 (2012) (“In this case, the financial ‘inducement’
Congress has chosen is more than ‘relatively mild encouragement’—it is a gun to the head . . . . T he threatened loss of
over 10 percent of a State’s overall budget . . . is economic dragooning that leaves the States with no real option but to
acquiesce . . . .”). See also Nolan, supra note 159, at 32-35.
206 See Nolan, supra note 159, at 32-35.
207 See U.S. CONST. art. I, § 8, cl. 18.
208 Id. For deeper analysis of the Necessary and Proper Clause, see Nolan, supra note 159, at 20-24.
209 See Kinsella v. United States ex rel. Singleton, 361 U.S. 234, 247 (1960) (“The [Necessary and Proper Clause] is not
itself a grant of power, but a caveat that the Con gress possesses all the means necessary to carry out the specifically
granted ‘foregoing’ powers of [Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution] and ‘all other Powers vested by this
Constitution.’”) (quoting U.S. CONST. art. I, § 8, cl. 18).
210 United States v. Comstock, 560 U.S. 126, 133-34 (2010) (quoting M’Culloch v. Maryland, 17 U.S. 316, 413, 418
(1819)).
211 See S. 4317, 116th Cong. § 2(b) (2d Sess. 2020) (“Pursuant to the powers delegated to Congress by article I, section
8, clauses 1, 3, 9, and 18 . . . .”) (emphasis added).
212 Id. § 2(a)(23).
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diverting taxpayer money provided under the CARES Act and other coronavirus legislation from
its intended purposes to the pockets of opportunistic trial lawyers,”213 and that curtailing those
lawsuits is therefore necessary and proper to executing Congress’s Spending Clause power.214
Article I, Section 8, Clause 9
Final y, Article I, Section 8, Clause 9 of the U.S. Constitution empowers Congress “[t]o constitute
Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court”215—that is, to create lower federal courts like the U.S.
District Courts and the U.S. Courts of Appeals.216 The Supreme Court has interpreted this clause,
in conjunction with the Necessary and Proper Clause discussed above,217 to empower Congress to
pass statutes governing how lawsuits proceed in the lower federal courts.218 As a later section of
this report discusses,219 the SAFE TO WORK Act proposes to invoke Article I, Section 8, Clause
9 and the Necessary and Proper Clause220 to create special procedural rules that apply to
coronavirus-related actions in the federal district courts.221
Designing the Proposal
Apart from deciding which enumerated power to invoke if it decides to pursue a COVID-19
liability shield, Congress would also likely consider what types of limitations the legislation
would establish. That decision would in turn likely lead Congress to address the questions
addressed below.
What Sorts of Claims Would the Legislation Foreclose?
If Congress opts to prohibit plaintiffs from pursuing certain COVID-19-related claims in court, it
may first consider which claims to cover. Subject to various exceptions,222 for instance, the SAFE
TO WORK Act would bar plaintiffs from pursuing “any coronavirus exposure action” against
specified businesses and organizations.223 The bil in turn defines “coronavirus exposure action”

213 Id. § 2(a)(15).
214 See id. § 2(a)(24) (“Because Congress must safeguard the investment of taxpayer dollars it made in the CARES Act
and other coronavirus legislation, and ensure that they are used for their intended purposes and not diverted for other
purposes, establishing temporary rules governing liability for certain coronavirus-related tort claims is a necessary and
proper means of carrying into execution Congress’s power to provide for the general welfare of th e United States.”).
215 U.S. CONST. art. I, § 8, cl. 9.
216 Willy v. Coastal Corp., 503 U.S. 131, 136 (1992). See also U.S. CONST. art. III, § 1 (“T he judicial Power of the
United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress m ay from tim e to tim e
ordain and establish.”) (emphasis added).
217 See supra “T he Necessary and Proper Clause.”
218 See Willy, 503 U.S. at 136 (“Article I, § 8, cl. 9, authorizes Congress to establish the lower federal courts. From
almost the founding days of this country, it has been firmly established that Congress, acting pursuant to its authority to
make all laws ‘necessary and proper’ to their establishment, also may enact laws regulating the conduct of those courts
and the means by which their judgments are enforced.”) (quoting U.S. CONST. art. I, § 8, cl. 18); Hanna v. Plumer, 380
U.S. 460, 473 (1965) (discussing “the long-recognized power of Congress to prescribe housekeeping rules for federal
courts even though some of those rules will inevitably differ from comparable state rules”).
219 See infra “If Any Lawsuits Were Permitted, What Other Rules Would Apply to the Covered Lawsuits?”
220 See S. 4317, 116th Cong. § 2(b) (2d Sess. 2020) (“Pursuant to the powers delegated to Congress by article I, section
8, clauses 1, 3, 9 and 18 . . . of the Constitution of the United States . . . .”) (emphasis added).
221 See id. § 163.
222 See id. § 122(a)(1)-(3). See also infra “What Must the Defendant Do to Qualify for the Liability Shield, and Would
the Liability Shield Have Exceptions?”
223 See S. 4317, 116th Cong. § 122(a) (2d Sess. 2020) (providing that, subject to specified exceptions, “no individual or
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to include (with certain exceptions) actions in which the plaintiff al eges that “an actual, al eged,
feared, or potential for exposure to coronavirus” caused a person to suffer “personal injury or risk
of personal injury.”224 Thus, for example, the bil would likely bar a customer who al egedly
contracted COVID-19 at a grocery store from filing a tort action against that store unless the
customer could establish one of the exceptions discussed below.225 The SAFE TO WORK Act
would bar various other claims as wel , including certain coronavirus-related medical liability
claims against health care providers.226
Who Would the Liability Shield Protect?
A COVID-19 liability shield could cover either a broad or narrow set of potential defendants.
Some legislative proposals pending in the 116th Congress, for instance, propose to insulate only a
limited subset of entities from COVID-19 liability, such as schools,227 healthcare providers,228
employers,229 nonprofit organizations,230 or meat processing facilities.231 Other bil s pending the
116th Congress, including the SAFE TO WORK Act,232 propose to protect a significantly wider
assortment of defendants from COVID-19 liability.233

entity engaged in businesses, services, activities, or accommodations shall be liable in any coronavirus exposure
action”). See also id. § 3(13) (defining “individual or entity”); id. § 3(2) (defining “businesses, services, activities, or
accommodations”).
224 Id. § 3(4). See also id. § 3(16) (defining “personal injury” to include “actual or potential physical injury,” “death,”
“mental suffering, emotional distress, or similar injuries”).
225 See infra “What Must the Defendant Do to Qualify for the Liability Shield, and Would the Liability Shield Have
Exceptions?”
226 See S. 4317, 116th Cong. § 142(a) (2d Sess. 2020) (providing that, subject to specified exceptions, “no health care
provider shall be liable in a coronavirus-related medical liability action”); id. § 3(7) (defining “ coronavirus-related
medical liability action” to include civil actions against a health care provider alleging harm caused by the provider’s
acts or omission in the course of “ arranging for or providing coronavirus-related health care services”). T he SAFE T O
WORK Act also proposes to limit certain entities’ liability under specified labor, employment, and civil rights laws.
See id. §§ 181-184.
227 See Open Schools Responsibly Act, H.R. 7710, 116th Cong. (2d Sess. 2020).
228 See Coronavirus Provider Protection Act, H.R. 7059, 116th Cong. (2d Sess. 2020); Facilitating Innovation to Fight
Coronavirus Act, S. 3630, 116th Cong. § 2 (2d Sess. 2020). See also Pandemic Liability Protection Act, H.R. 7179,
116th Cong. (2d Sess. 2020) (proposing to cover both healthcare and food providers).
229 See Employer and Employee COVID Protection Act, H.R. 6844, 116th Cong. § 2(a) -(b), (e)(3) (2d Sess. 2020).
230 See Service Assurance Act of 2020, H.R. 6976, 116th Cong. (2d Sess. 2020).
231 See Protecting Protein Production and Consumer Access Act of 2020, H.R. 6883, 116th Cong. (2d Sess. 2020).
232 See S. 4317, 116th Cong. § 122(a) (2d Sess. 2020) (creating a liability shield for any “individual or entity engaged
in businesses, services, activities, or accommodations”); id. § 3(13) (defining “individual or entity” to include “(A) any
natural person, corporation, company, trade, business, firm, partnership, joint stock company, educ ational institution,
labor organization, or similar organization or group of organizations; (B) any nonprofit organization, foundation,
society, or association organized for religious, charitable, educational, or other purposes; or (C) any State, T ribal, o r
local government”); id. § 3(2) (“T he term ‘businesses, services, activities, or accommodations’ means any act by an
individual or entity, irrespective of whether the act is carried on for profit, that is interstate or foreign commerce, that
involves persons or things in interstate or foreign commerce, that involves the channels or instrumentalities of interstate
or foreign commerce, that substantially affects interstate or foreign commerce, or that is otherwise an act subject to
regulation by Congress as necessary and proper to carry into execution Congress’s powers to regulate interstate or
foreign commerce or to spend funds for the general welfare.”).
233 See Protecting Reopening Businesses Recovering from COVID-19 Act, S. 3915, 116th Cong. § 4 (2d Sess. 2020)
(proposing to shield any “business or COVID-19 medical entity” from COVID-19 transmission claims under specified
conditions); Get America Back to Work Act, H.R. 7528, 116th Cong. § 2 (2d Sess. 2020) (proposing to shield any
“person” from COVID-19 transmission liability under specified circumstances and defining “person” to include a broad
array of entities).
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If Congress decides to structure a COVID-19 liability bil as Commerce Clause legislation, the
bil ’s constitutionality may depend on which defendants and activities Congress opts to protect.234
As discussed above, the Commerce Clause may grant Congress greater flexibility to regulate
lawsuits against entities that conduct economic activities that occur in or substantial y affect
interstate commerce.235 If Congress wants to protect entities that engage in purely intrastate,
noneconomic activities, it might consider structuring the bil as Spending Clause legislation.236
What Must the Defendant Do to Qualify for the Liability Shield, and Would the
Liability Shield Have Exceptions?
None of the COVID-19 liability bil s currently pending in the 116th Congress proposes to
categorical y bar al COVID-19-related tort suits in al circumstances.237 Some bil s, for instance,
would only protect defendants that comply with specified health and safety guidelines.238 Many
proposals also contain exceptions that would al ow plaintiffs to pursue COVID-19-related tort
lawsuits under specified conditions, such as if the plaintiff can prove that the defendant
committed gross negligence or wil ful misconduct.239
To il ustrate, Subtitle A of Title I of the SAFE TO WORK Act would al ow plaintiffs to pursue
coronavirus exposure actions if they can prove by clear and convincing evidence240 that:
1. The defendant was not making reasonable efforts to comply with applicable
government standards and guidance pertaining to COVID-19;241

234 See supra “T he Commerce Clause.”
235 See supra “T he Commerce Clause.”
236 See supra “T he Spending Clause.”
237 See supra note 151.
238 See, e.g., Open Schools Responsibly Act, H.R. 7710, 116th Cong. § 3(a) (2d Sess. 2020) (proposing to protect
specified schools from COVID-19-related liability, but only “ if the school or institution was in compliance with
applicable guidelines issued by the State and the Centers for Disease Control [and] Prevention”). The “March to
Common Ground” framework that the Problem Solvers Caucus unveiled on September 15, 2020 similarly proposes to
grant liability protections to “entities which follow enhanced OSHA guidelines.” See March to Common Ground:
Bipartisan COVID Relief Framework, available at https://problemsolverscaucus-gottheimer.house.gov/sites/
problemsolverscaucus.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/PSC%20March%20to%20Common%20Ground%20COVID
%20Framework%209.15.20_0.pdf. Alternatively, two law professors recommend granting “ [a] safe harbor from tort
liability for businesses that inform customers about potential exposures” to COVID-19. Hemel & Rodriguez, supra
note 96.
239 See, e.g., Protecting Protein Production and Consumer Access Act of 2020, H.R. 6883, 116th Cong. § 2(b) (2d Sess.
2020) (specifying that certain liability protections shall “not apply if the harm was caused by an act or omission
constituting willful or criminal misconduct, gross negligence, reckless misconduct, or a conscious flagrant indifference
to the rights or safety of the individual harmed by the entity”); Service Assurance Act of 2020, H. R. 6976, 116th Cong.
§ 2(b) (2d Sess. 2020) (similar); Coronavirus Provider Protection Act, H.R. 7059, 116th Cong. § 2(b)(1) (2d Sess.
2020) (similar); Get America Back to Work Act, H.R. 7528, 116th Cong. § 2(c) (2d Sess. 2020) (similar).
240 See Evidence, BLACK’S LAW DICTIONARY (11th ed. 2019) (defining “clear and convincing evidence” as “[e]vidence
that the thing to be proved is highly probable or reasonably certain,” and describing the clear and convincing evidence
standard as “a greater burden than preponderance of the evidence, the standard applied in most civil trials, but less than
evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, the norm for criminal trials”).
241 See S. 4317, 116th Cong. § 122(a)(1) (2d Sess. 2020). See also id. § 3(1) (defining “applicable government
standards and guidance”); id. § 122(b) (governing reasonable efforts to comply with applicable government standards
and guidance).
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2. The defendant engaged in gross negligence or wil ful misconduct that caused the
plaintiff to be exposed to the coronavirus;242 and
3. That coronavirus exposure caused the plaintiff to sustain a personal injury.243
If Any Lawsuits Were Permitted, What Other Rules Would Apply to the Covered
Lawsuits?
To the extent Congress decides not to bar certain COVID-19-related tort suits, Congress
nonetheless may opt to modify other rules that can affect a defendant’s liability.244 Subtitle C of
Title I of the SAFE TO WORK Act, for instance, would create exclusive federal causes of action
for coronavirus-related exposure245 and medical liability246 actions, and modify certain
substantive and procedural rules that apply to these suits.247 The bil would, for example, modify
certain rules248 to limit the amounts that might be awarded as noneconomic and punitive damages,
render the collateral source rule inapplicable, and limit a defendant’s liability to only the portion
of the judgment that corresponds to that defendant’s proportionate responsibility.249 The bil
would also displace state statutes of limitations and general y require plaintiffs to file coronavirus
exposure or medical liability actions within one year after the date of the al eged injury.250 While
the bil would not designate federal court as the exclusive forum to adjudicate these actions, the
bil would modify several procedural rules251 to make it easier for a plaintiff to file a coronavirus-
related action in,252 or for a defendant to remove such a case to,253 federal court. Once the action
is proceeding in federal court, the bil would subject the action to several modified rules,

242 See id. § 122(a)(2). See also id. § 3(10) (defining “gross negligence”); id. § 3(19) (defining “willful misconduct”).
243 See id. § 122(a)(3). See also id. § 3(16) (defining “personal injury”).
244 See supra “Other Existing Laws that Could Affect COVID-19-Related Liability.”
245 See S. 4317, § 121(a) (116th Cong. 2020).
246 See id. § 141(a).
247 See id. §§ 162-163.
248 See supra “Laws Governing T ort Remedies.”
249 See S. 4317, § 162(b)(1), (b)(2) (generally limiting compensatory damages to economic damages but allowing a
court to award noneconomic and punitive damages if the trier of fact determines that the injury at issue was caused by
the defendant’s willful misconduct); id. § 162(b)(2)(B) (prohibiting courts from awarding punitive damages in
coronavirus-related actions that exceed the award of compensatory damages); id. § 162(b)(3) (rendering the collateral
source rule inapplicable by reducing the amount of any monet ary damages by any compensation the plaintiff received
from another source related to the injury at issue); id. § 162(a) (largely eliminating joint and several liability by limiting
a defendant’s liability to only the portion of the judgment that corresponds to the defendant’s proportionate
responsibility).
250 See id. §§ 121(c), 141(c).
251 See supra “Procedural Rules.”
252 Because the bill would create exclusive federal causes of action for these tort suits, these tort suits would no longer
be subject to the limits of diversity jurisdiction. See supra note 126; O’Conner v. Commonwealth Edison Co., 13 F.3d
1090, 1101-02 (7th Cir. 1994) (holding that where Congress manifested an intent to create a new federal cause of
action by certain statutory provisions, those provisions create “arising under” jurisdiction). T his means that these suits
could be filed or removed to federal courts regardless of, for instance, the amounts in controversy or the citizenship of
the parties. See supra note 126 and accompanying text.
253 See, e.g., S. 4317, § 161(b)(1) (116th Cong. 2020) (allowing a defendant to remove a coronavirus-related action
without the consent of all defendants).
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including heightened pleading standards for a complaint254 and limits on the scope of pre-trial
discovery.255
How Long Would the Shield Remain in Place, and Would It Apply
Retroactively?
Congress may also consider how long it wants the liability protections to remain in place. The
liability protections in the Protecting Reopening Businesses Recovering from COVID-19 Act, for
example, would apply until the COVID-19 public health emergency ends.256 The Open Schools
Responsibly Act, by contrast, would sunset on a fixed date: January 31, 2025.257
A related question is whether the liability shield would apply to injuries or activities that occurred
before its enactment. As another CRS product explains, Congress may (subject to various
constraints) pass civil legislation that applies retroactively.258 For example, Subtitle A of Title I of
the SAFE TO WORK Act would apply to coronavirus-related injuries that occurred as early as
December 1, 2019.259
How Would the Federal Law Interact with State Law?
A federal COVID-19 liability law could also expressly specify the extent to which the statute
preempts—that is, displaces—state law.260 For instance, subject to various exceptions (including
exceptions for certain governmental enforcement actions and intentional discrimination
claims),261 Subtitle A of Title I the SAFE TO WORK Act would explicitly “preempt[] and
supersede[] any Federal, State, or Tribal law . . . related to recovery for personal injuries caused
by actual, al eged, feared, or potential for exposure to coronavirus.”262 Subtitle A would not,
however, displace state laws that afford defendants greater protection from tort liability than the

254 See, e.g., id. § 163(a) (requiring a plaintiff to plead with particularity each element of the plaintiff’s claim, including
all places and persons the allegedly injured person visited during the 14 -day period before the onset of the first
coronavirus symptoms); id. § 163(b) (requiring the complaint to include statements setting forth the factual basis for the
damages the plaintiff seeks and the facts giving rise to a strong inference that the defendant acted with the requisite
state of mind); id. § 163(c) (requiring a plaintiff to verify the complaint and to file certain medical records and
physician affidavit with the complaint).
255 See, e.g., id. § 163(e) (prohibiting the parties from conducting discovery until the court has resolved the defendant’s
motion to dismiss, and permitting discovery only on matters directly related to material issues contested in the
coronavirus-related action). T hese discovery limitations, as well as certain pleading requirements described in n ote 254,
supra, are similar to those imposed by the PREP Act. See supra notes 146-150 and accompanying text.
256 See S. 3915, 116th Cong. § 4(a) (2d Sess. 2020) (specifying that the bill’s liability protections apply “[d] uring the
covered period”); id. § 3(3) (“T he term ‘covered period’ means the public health emergency declared by the Secretary
of Health and Human Services under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act . . . on January 31, 2020, with
respect to COVID-19.”).
257 H.R. 7710, 116th Cong. § 3(e) (2d Sess. 2020).
258 See CRS In Focus IF11293, Retroactive Legislation: A Primer for Congress, by Joanna R. Lampe.
259 See S. 4317, 116th Cong. § 3(4)(A)(iii)(II)(aa) (2d Sess. 2020). See also Open Schools Responsibly Act, H.R. 7710,
116th Cong. § 3(d) (2d Sess. 2020) (“ T his section shall take effect as if enacted on January 31, 2020, and applies with
respect to a claim for harm if the act or omission that caused such harm occurred on or after such date.”).
260 For background on the federal preemption of state law, see CRS Report R45825, Federal Preemption: A Legal
Prim er, by Jay B. Sykes and Nicole Vanatko.
261 See S. 4317, 116th Cong. § 121(b)(2)-(6) (2d Sess. 2020).
262 Id. § 121(b)(1).
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SAFE TO WORK Act.263 Other COVID-19 liability bil s pending in the 116th Congress contain
similar preemption provisions.264
Other Constitutional Issues
Some critics argue that federal legislation limiting COVID-19-related tort lawsuits would violate
the constitutional guarantees of due process or equal protection. The following subsections of this
report evaluate those arguments.
Due Process
The Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause forbids Congress from depriving any person “of life,
liberty, or property, without due process of law.”265 Some commentators argue that the Due
Process Clause forbids Congress from extinguishing COVID-19 victims’ state law tort remedies
without creating a substitute federal remedy to compensate them, such as a COVID-19
compensation fund.266 These commentators base that argument on the Supreme Court’s 1978
decision in Duke Power Co. v. Carolina Environmental Study Group, Inc.,267 in which the Court
considered a due process chal enge to a federal statute capping the nuclear industry’s aggregate
liability for a single nuclear incident at $560 mil ion.268 In exchange for that liability limitation,
the law
1. required companies covered by the liability cap to purchase the maximum
amount of liability insurance available on the private market;269
2. required nuclear reactor owners, in the event of a nuclear incident, to contribute
money to compensate victims;270 and

263 See id. § 121(b)(2) (“Nothing in this subtitle shall be construed to affect the applicability of any provision of any
Federal, State, or T ribal law that imposes stricter limits on damages or liabilities for personal injury caused by, arising
out of, or related to an actual, alleged, feared, or potential for exposure to coronavirus, or otherwise affords greater
protection to defendants in any coronavirus exposure action, than are provided in this subtitle. Any such provision of
Federal, State, or T ribal law shall be applied in addition to the requirements of this subtitle and not in lieu thereof.”).
264 See, e.g., Get America Back to Work Act, H.R. 7528, 116th Cong. § 2(b) (2d Sess. 2020) (“T he laws of a State or
any political subdivision of a State are hereby preempted to the extent such laws are inconsistent with this section,
unless such laws provide greater protection from liability.”); Open Schools Responsibly Act, H.R. 7710, 116th Cong.
§ 3(c) (2d Sess. 2020) (similar).
265 U.S. CONST. amend. V. T he Fourteenth Amendment contains a similar Due Process Clause that applies to the states.
See U.S. CONST. amend. XIV, § 1 (“ [N]or shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due
process of law . . . .”).
266 See T estimony of Professor David C. Vladeck, Georgetown University Law Center, Before the Senate Judiciary
Committee, Examining Liability During the COVID-19 Pandemic 18 & n.2, available at https://www.judiciary.
senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Vladeck%20T estimony.pdf [hereinafter Vladeck Testim ony] (“ [T]he extinguishing of state
law claims, with no federal substitute, likely violates the Due Process Clause . . . . [T ]he Suprem e Court has strongly
suggested that eliminating state liability law without any quid pro quo would violate Due Process. T hat is exactly what
[COVID-19] immunity legislation would do.”) (internal citations omitted). Cf. Y. Peter Kang, Injury Attys Undaunted
by COVID-19 Nursing Hom e Im m unity, LAW360, https://www.law360.com/health/articles/1292459/injury -attys-
undaunted-by-covid-19-nursing-home-immunity (July 15, 2020) [hereinafter Kang, Undaunted] (“ It’s rare that
governments can establish immunity without some kind of quid pro quo . . . I just don’t see how [COVID-19 immunity
legislation] qualifies.”) (quoting Robert Peck, Center for Constit utional Litigation PC).
267 See Vladeck Testimony, supra note 266, at 18 n.2.
268 See 438 U.S. 59, 62-67 (1978).
269 See id. at 65.
270 See id. at 66 (“[A] new provision was added requiring, in the event of a nuclear incident, each of the 60 or more
reactor owners to contribute between $2 and $5 million toward the cost of compensating victims.”).
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3. forced prospective defendants to waive al legal defenses they might otherwise be
able to assert against lawsuits resulting from a nuclear accident.271
The law further required the federal government to indemnify defendants for certain liability that
the statutorily-mandated private insurance did not cover.272 In this way, the law created a pool of
federal indemnity funds, private insurance proceeds, and monetary contributions from nuclear
reactor owners to compensate victims in the event of a nuclear incident, but capped the size of
that pool at $560 mil ion per incident.273 The statute expressly stated, however, that if a nuclear
accident resulted in damages that exceeded the $560 mil ion liability ceiling, Congress would
take whatever actions it deemed “necessary and appropriate” to protect the public from that
accident’s economic consequences.274
Various organizations and individuals chal enged the statute on due process grounds.275 Among
other arguments,276 the chal engers maintained that the law’s liability cap unconstitutional y
“fail[ed] to provide those injured by a nuclear accident with a satisfactory quid pro quo for the
common-law rights of recovery which the Act abrogates.”277
The Duke Power Court first opined that it was “not at al clear that the Due Process Clause in fact
requires that a legislatively enacted compensation scheme either duplicate the recovery at
common law” that might otherwise be available to plaintiffs “or provide a reasonable substitute
remedy.”278 The Court determined it did not need to resolve that question,279 however, because
even if the Due Process Clause did impose such a requirement, the chal enged statute “provide[d]
a reasonably just substitute for the common-law or state tort law remedies it replace[d].”280 The
Court therefore rejected the plaintiffs’ due process chal enge.281
Some commentators cite Duke Power to support their view that Congress cannot limit
defendants’ COVID-19-related liability exposure without providing plaintiffs some alternative

271 See id. at 65.
272 See id.
273 See id. at 67 (“[L]iability in the event of a nuclear incident causing damages of $560 million or more would be
spread as follows: $315 million would be paid from contributions by the licensees of the 63 private operating nuclear
power plants; $140 million would come from private insurance (the maximum now available); the remainder of $105
million would be borne by the Federal Government.”).
274 See id. at 66-67 (“In its amendments to the Act in 1975, Congress also explicitly provided that ‘in the event of a
nuclear incident involving damages in excess of [the] amount of aggregate liability, the Congress will thoroughly
review the particular incident and will take whatever action is deemed necessary and appropriate to protect the public
from the consequences of a disaster of such magnitude . . . .’”) (quoting 42 U.S.C. § 2210(e) (1975)).
275 See id. at 67-68. T he challengers also raised equal protection arguments. See id. at 68. T his report analyzes equal
protection principles below. See infra “ Equal Protection.”
276 See 438 U.S. at 82-87.
277 Id. at 87-88.
278 Id. at 88.
279 See id. (“[W]e need not resolve this question here . . . .”).
280 Id.; see also id. at 90-91 (“We view the congressional assurance of a $560 million fund for recovery, accompanied
by an express statutory commitment, to ‘take whatever action is deemed necessary and appropriate to protect the public
from the consequences of’ a nuclear accident, to be a fair and reasonable substitute for the uncertain recovery of
damages of this magnitude from a utility or component manufacturer, whose resources might well be exhausted at an
early stage . . . At the minimum, the statutorily mandated waiver of defenses establishes at the threshold the right of
injured parties to compensation without proof of fault and eliminates the burden of delay and uncertainty which would
follow from the need to litigate the question of liability after an accident.”) (emphasis and internal citations omitted).
281 See id. at 93 (“T his panoply of remedies and guarantees is at the least a reasonably just substitute for the common -
law rights replaced by the [challenged statute]. Nothing more is required by the Due Process Clause.”).
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remedy to compensate them for their injuries.282 However, as explained, the Supreme Court did
not hold in Duke Power that Congress cannot eliminate a common law remedy without providing
an alternate remedy in its place.283 Rather, the Court concluded that it did not need to decide that
question because, even if that is what the Constitution requires, the statute at issue met that test.284
It is therefore possible that the Due Process Clause does not in fact prohibit Congress from
extinguishing tort remedies without providing plaintiffs a reasonably just substitute remedy.
In any event, several courts have rejected similar due process arguments in the context of
chal enges to the PLCAA’s constitutionality.285 Certain plaintiffs, citing Duke Power,286 argued
that the PLCAA violated due process by unconstitutional y extinguishing their common law right
to compensation through the tort system without providing an alternate remedy.287 Several courts
disagreed,288 emphasizing that the PLCAA did not provide manufacturers and sel ers complete
immunity from firearm-related tort claims, but instead contained various exceptions that al owed
certain claims to proceed.289 Thus, the courts ruled, Congress did not have to provide the plaintiffs
some alternate remedy to compensate them for the loss of their tort claims.290
Most of the COVID-19 liability proposals pending in the 116th Congress do not categorical y
immunize defendants from al COVID-19-related tort claims; instead, they contain various
exceptions that al ow plaintiffs to pursue COVID-19 claims under specified conditions.291 The
PLCAA cases therefore suggest that Congress may enact those proposals without contravening

282 See Vladeck Testimony, supra note 266, at 18 n.2 (arguing that Duke Power “strongly suggest[s] that eliminating
state liability law without any quid pro quo would violate Due Process”).
283 See 438 U.S. at 88.
284 See id. (“It is not at all clear that the Due Process Clause in fact requires that a legislatively enacted compensation
scheme either duplicate the recovery at common law or provide a reasonable substitute remedy.”). See also Ileto v.
Glock, Inc., 565 F.3d 1126, 1144 (9th Cir. 20 09) (characterizing Duke Power as “ reiterat[ing] that it was an open
question whether a legislature may abolish a common-law recovery scheme without providing a reasonable substitute
remedy”).
285 T his report discusses the PLCAA above. See supra “T he Commerce Clause.”
286 See Gilland v. Sportsmen’s Outpost, Inc., No. X04CV095032765S, 2011 WL 2479693, at *19 (Conn. Super. Ct.
May 26, 2011).
287 See, e.g., id. at *18 (“T he plaintiffs assert that the PLCAA has wholly eliminated their common -law rights, and
those of other firearms violence victims, against particular tortfeasors who have caused them harm, without providing
any alternate remedy, thereby depriving them of their due process right of redress in the courts.”); Kim ex rel.
Alexander v. Coxe, 295 P.3d 380, 390 (Alaska 2013) (similar); Delana v. CED Sales, Inc., 486 S.W.3d 316, 324 (Mo.
2016) (similar).
288 See, e.g., Delana, 486 S.W.3d at 324 (“T he PLCAA does not violate Appellant’s federal due process rights.”); Kim,
295 P.3d at 390-91; Gilland, 2011 WL 2479693, at *18-20.
289 See Gilland, 2011 WL 2479693, at *20 (“The PLCAA preempts certain categories of claims that meet specified
requirements, but it also carves out several significant exceptions to that general rule. Some claims are preempted, but
many are not.”) (quoting Ileto, 565 F.3d at 1143); Kim, 295 P.3d at 390-91 (reasoning that “the PLCAA only limited,
not eliminated, common law remedies” by “immuniz[ing] a specific type of defendant from a specific type of suit”)
(quoting City of New York v. Beretta U.S.A. Corp., 524 F.3d 384, 398 (2d Cir. 2008)). See also Delana, 486 S.W.3d at
324 (holding that even though the PLCAA defeated the plaintiff’s negligence claim, the statute did not
unconstitutionally “eliminate a remedy” because it did not foreclose the plaintiff’s state law negligent entrustment
claim).
290 See, e.g., District of Columbia v. Beretta U.S.A. Corp., 940 A.2d 163, 177 n.8 (D.C. Ct. App. 2 008) (“Because
. . . Congress did not deprive injured persons of all potential remedies against manufacturers or sellers of firearms that
discharge causing them injuries, we need not consider the plaintiffs’ subsidiary claim that due process at least requires
Congress to supply an alternative remedy before it may eliminate a cause of action . . . .”).
291 See supra “What Must the Defendant Do to Qualify for the Liability Shield, and Would the Liability Shield Have
Exceptions?”
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the Due Process Clause, even if the federal government does not provide an alternate remedy or
source of compensation.
To the extent this doctrinal question remains unsettled, however, Congress could potential y
increase the likelihood that any particular COVID-19 liability-shield law withstands judicial
scrutiny by narrowing its scope. A statute that bars only certain lawsuits against particular
defendants—without foreclosing other potential avenues for plaintiffs to obtain compensation for
their injuries—may be more likely to survive a due process chal enge than a broader liability
shield.292
Equal Protection
Some critics suggest that a federal293 COVID-19 liability shield could violate the U.S.
Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection of the laws.294 According to these critics, such laws
may improperly single out a particular group of people—namely, people who have suffered
COVID-19-related injuries—and treat them unequal y by eliminating their legal right to obtain
compensation through the tort system.295 For the following reasons, however, the COVID-19
liability bil s that Congress has introduced to date do not appear to violate COVID-19 victims’
equal protection rights.
When adjudicating an equal protection chal enge to a federal statute, a court first assesses
whether the law draws distinctions between people based on suspect grounds (such as race,
national origin, or religion) or burdens the exercise of fundamental constitutional rights.296 If the
law does neither of those things, the court applies a highly deferential standard cal ed “rational
basis” review, under which the court wil reject the equal protection chal enge “if there is any
reasonably conceivable state of facts that could provide a rational basis for the classification.”297

292 Cf. Kim, 295 P.3d at 390-91 (emphasizing that the PLCAA merely “immunizes a specific type of defendant from a
specific type of suit”) (quoting City of New York, 524 F.3d at 398); Gilland, 2011 WL 2479693 at *20 (“The PLCAA
does not deny tort victims all redress; rather, it selectively preempts certain actions.”); Delana, 486 S.W.3d at 324
(holding that, even though the PLCAA defeated the plaintiff’s negligence claim, the statute did not unconstitutionally
“eliminate a remedy” because it did not foreclose the plaintiff’s state law negligent entrustment claim).
293 T his report does not analyze whether any particular state law COVID-19 liability shield would violate equal
protection guarantees provided by that state’s constitution.
294 See U.S. CONST. amend. XIV, § 1 (“No state shall . . . deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection
of the laws.”). “Although t he Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause applies by its terms only to the States,
the Supreme Court has long recognized that equal protection principles bind the federal government (by what has been
termed ‘reverse incorporation’) through the Fift h Amendment’s Due Process Clause.” E.g., Morrissey v. United States,
871 F.3d 1260, 1268 n.6 (11th Cir. 2017) (citing Bolling v. Sharpe, 347 U.S. 497, 500 (1954)).
295 Cf. Kang, Undaunted, supra note 266 (“[One attorney] said plaintiffs[’] lawyers in states with immunity laws could
also opt to lodge constitutional challenges, because the families of residents killed by the virus could claim the laws and
orders violate their equal protection rights. ‘You can’t just immunize [nursing homes] from liability because you’re
basically wiping out a class of people who have been harmed,’ he said. ‘I think ultimately a lot of those laws are going
to be found unconstitutional.’”).
296 See, e.g., Kahawaiolaa v. Norton, 386 F.3d 1271, 1277 (9th Cir. 2004) (“Laws alleged to violate the constitutional
guarantee of equal protection are generally subject to one of three levels of ‘scrutiny’ by courts: strict scrutiny,
intermediate scrutiny, or rational basis review. Strict scrutiny is applied when the classification is made on ‘suspect’
grounds such as race, ancestry, alienage, or categorizations impinging upon fundamental rights such as privacy,
marriage, voting, travel, and freedom of association. Laws are subject to intermediate scrutiny when they discriminate
based on certain other suspect classifications, such as gender.”) (internal citations omitted).
297 FCC v. Beach Commc’ns, Inc., 508 U.S. 307, 313 (1993).
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Several courts have applied that deferential standard to reject equal protection chal enges to the
PLCAA.298 The plaintiffs in those cases argued that the PLCAA violated their equal protection
rights by either
1. treating persons injured by defendants in the firearms industry less favorably than
persons injured by defendants in other industries;299
2. violating firearms victims’ fundamental right of access to the courts;300 or
3. depriving the plaintiffs of their fundamental property rights in their state law tort
causes of action against the defendants.301
The courts rejected each of these arguments. They first observed that the PLCAA did not draw
distinctions based on a suspect classification like race.302 The courts then concluded that a statute
that merely abrogates a particular cause of action “does not impede, let alone entirely foreclose,
general use of the courts by would-be plaintiffs,” but merely “immunizes a specific type of
defendant from a specific type of suit.”303 Nor did the PLCAA implicate the plaintiffs’ property
rights, as plaintiffs do not hold a property right to a cause of action they have not yet reduced to a
final, unreviewable judgment.304 The courts accordingly evaluated the PLCAA under rational
basis review.305 Applying that deferential standard, the courts reasoned that Congress could have
rational y concluded that barring the lawsuits covered by the PLCAA was a suitable way to
facilitate interstate and foreign commerce.306 The courts therefore rejected the plaintiffs’ equal
protection chal enges.307 These cases suggest that Congress could likewise limit the scope of
COVID-19-related liability without contravening equal protection principles.

298 See Ileto v. Glock, Inc., 565 F.3d 1126, 1140-41 (9th Cir. 2009); Kim ex rel. Alexander v. Coxe, 295 P.3d 380, 391-
92 (Alaska 2013); Gilland v. Sportsmen’s Outpost, Inc., No. X04CV095032765S, 2011 WL 2479693, at *20-22 (Conn.
Super. Ct. May 26, 2011).
299 See Gilland, 2011 WL 2479693, at *20 (“The plaintiffs contend that that PLCAA violates the equal protection
guarantee of the Fifth Amendment by . . . depriving certain victims of firearm industry wrongdoing of their right to a
remedy, while other persons may st ill recover, so long as the tortfeasor sold a product other than firearms . . . .”).
300 See Kim, 295 P.3d at 391 (“T he Estate argues the PLCAA . . . violates the fundamental right of access to the
courts.”).
301 See Ileto, 565 F.3d at 1141 (analyzing the plaintiffs’ argument that “they have a vested property right in their
accrued state-law causes of action”).
302 See Kim, 295 P.3d at 392 (“[T]he PLCAA does not implicate . . . a suspect class . . . .”); Ileto, 565 F.3d at 1141
(determining that the plaintiffs “fail[ed] to identify . . . any suspect classification common to those adversely affected
by the PLCAA”).
303 Kim, 295 P.3d at 390 (quoting City of New York v. Beretta U.S.A. Corp., 524 F.3d 384, 398 (2d Cir. 2008)). Cf.
Gilland, 2011 WL 2479693, at *22 (holding that the PLCAA “ does not violate” the “ right to seek redress through the
courts”).
304 See Ileto, 565 F.3d at 1141 (“Plaintiffs . . . argue that greater scrutiny is required because they have a vested
property right in their accrued state-law causes of action. Plaintiffs’ premise is incorrect: ‘We have squarely held that
although a cause of action is a species of property, a party’s property right in any cause of action does not vest until a
final unreviewable judgment is obtained.’”) (quoting Lyon v. Agusta S.P.A., 252 F.3d 1078, 1086 (9th Cir. 2001)).
305 See, e.g., Kim, 295 P.3d at 392 (“[R]ational basis review applies to the Estate’s equal protection challenge.”).
306 See Ileto, 565 F.3d at 1140-41 (“We have no trouble concluding that Congress rationally co uld find that, by
insulating the firearms industry from a specified set of lawsuits, interstate and foreign commerce of firearms would be
affected.”); Kim, 295 P.3d at 392 (“Here, Congress found certain types of tort suits threatened constitutional rights,
destabilized industry, and burdened interstate commerce. Protecting constitutional rights and interstate commerce is a
legitimate purpose and barring certain types of tort suits while allowing others is a rational way to pursue this
legitimate purpose.”).
307 See, e.g., Gilland, 2011 WL 2479693, at *22 (holding that Congress’s “decision to treat persons injured by firearms
differently” did “not violate the plaintiffs’ right to equal protection”).
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Relatedly, evidence indicates that COVID-19 may disproportionately affect racial and ethnic
minorities.308 Thus, it is possible that a federal statute creating a COVID-19 liability shield could
have a more significant effect on these groups. Under Supreme Court precedent, however, a
statute that has a racial y disproportionate impact, but does not draw race-based distinctions on its
face, general y does not violate the constitutional equal protection guarantee unless the legislature
passed that statute for an intentional y discriminatory purpose.309 Thus, just as a plaintiff would
probably not be able to successfully argue that a federal COVID-19 liability shield
unconstitutional y discriminates against victims of COVID-19-related torts, a plaintiff probably
would not be able to argue successfully that such a shield unconstitutional y discriminates on the
basis of race or ethnicity.
Workplace Safety
In addition to legislation that would create liability shields against possible COVID-19-related
tort liability, the 116th Congress has introduced legislation310 proposing to enhance federal
workplace safety protections under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act).311 These
bil s address certain COVID-19-specific risks that may give rise to tort liability. This section of
the report provides an overview of the OSH Act standards relevant to the coronavirus—including
how such standards interact with relevant state law—and proposals that would bolster workplace
safety protections.
Congress enacted the OSH Act in 1970 to “assure so far as possible every working man and
woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions . . . .”312 The law seeks to reduce the
frequency and severity of work-related injuries and il nesses by promoting a “comprehensive,
nationwide approach” to workplace safety.313 The OSH Act authorizes the Secretary of Labor
(Secretary) to promulgate occupational safety and health standards, and provides for workplace
inspections and investigations to ensure compliance with these standards and the law itself.314 The
OSH Act further authorizes the Secretary to issue citations and penalties if the employer does not
comply.315 The Secretary has delegated this authority under the OSH Act to the Assistant
Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, who acts as the administrator for the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).316 The OSH Act does not confer a

308 See, e.g., Health Equity Considerations and Racial Ethnic Minority Groups, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND
PREVENTION (July 24, 2020), available at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/health-equity/race-
ethnicity.html.
309 See, e.g., Washington v. Davis, 426 U.S. 229, 239 (1976) (“[O]ur cases have not embraced the proposition that a
law or other official act, without regard to whether it reflects a racially discriminatory purpose, is unconstitutional
[s]olely because it has a racially disproportionate impact.”).
310 See infra “Proposals to Enhance Workplace Safety Standards.”
311 29 U.S.C. §§ 651-678.
312 Id. § 651(b).
313 See S. REP. NO. 91-1282, at 4 (1970) (“[T]he chemical and physical hazards which characterize modern industry are
not the problem of a single employer, a single industry, nor a single state jurisdiction. T he spread of industry and the
mobility of the workforce combine to make the health and safety of the worker truly a national concern.”).
314 29 U.S.C. §§ 655, 657.
315 Id. §§ 658, 666.
316 Delegation of Authority and Assignment of Responsibility to the Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and
Health (Secretary’s Order 1-2012), 77 Fed. Reg. 3912 (Jan. 25, 2012). T he position of Assistant Secretary for
Occupational Safety and Health is currently vacant. Under Secretary’s Order 1 -2012, it appears that the Secretary of
Labor may exercise the authority provided by the OSH Act when an Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and
Health has not been appointed. See id. at 3913 (“ No delegation of authority or assignment of responsibility under this
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private right of action to enforce the law or the safety and health standards promulgated pursuant
to the law.317
The OSH Act applies general y to private sector employers and the U.S. Postal Service. By
definition, the law does not apply to other federal government entities or to state and local
governments.318 However, the OSH Act requires federal agencies other than the Postal Service to
establish and maintain “an effective and comprehensive occupational safety and health program”
that is consistent with the safety and health standards promulgated by OSHA.319 In addition, state
and local governments may become subject to comparable state safety and health standards if a
state assumes responsibility for the development and enforcement of such standards in the
state.320
OSHA Standards
An employer’s duties under the OSH Act flow from two sources. Section 5(a)(2) of the Act
requires an employer to comply with detailed safety and health standards promulgated by
OSHA.321 Where there is no applicable standard, section 5(a)(1) imposes a general duty on an
employer to furnish employment and a workplace “free from recognized hazards that are causing
or are likely to cause death or serious harm to his employees.”322 Courts often refer to Section
5(a)(1) as the OSH Act’s “general duty clause,” and it acts as a catch-al provision that promotes
workplace safety.323
The OSH Act defines an “occupational safety and health standard” as one that “requires
conditions, or the adoption or use of one or more practices, means, methods, operations, or
processes, reasonably necessary or appropriate to provide safe or healthful employment and
places of employment.”324 Some OSHA standards address workplace hazards present across
industries. For example, general industry OSHA standards, codified in Title 29, Part 1910 of the
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), address the handling of specified hazardous materials,325 the
use of personal protective equipment,326 and the design of electrical systems.327 Other standards
focus on workplace hazards in specific industries. These standards appear in various parts of Title

order will be deemed to affect the Secretary’s authority to continue to exercise or further delegate such authority or
responsibility.”). T he Secretary of Labor has not further delegated his authority under the OSH Act.
317 See, e.g., Pedraza v. Shell Oil Co., 942 F.2d 48, 52 (1st Cir. 1991) (“[E]very court faced with the issue has held that
[the OSH Act] creates no private right of action.”).
318 29 U.S.C. § 652(5) (defining the term “employer” for purposes of the OSH Act to mean “a person engaged in a
business affecting commerce who has employees, but does not include the United States (not including the United
States Postal Service) or any State or political subdivision of a State.”).
319 Id. § 668(a).
320 See id. § 667(c)(6) (requiring so-called “state plans” to include assurances that the state will establish and maintain
an occupational safety and health program that is as effective as OSHA’s standards and applies to all state and local
employees). See also infra “ T he OSH Act and State Workplace Safety Requirements.”
321 29 U.S.C. § 654(a)(2).
322 Id. § 654(a)(1).
323 See, e.g., Nat’l Realty & Constr. Co. v. OSHRC, 489 F.2d 1257, 1 263 (D.C. Cir. 1973) (describing section 5(a)(1)
of the OSH Act as the law’s “general duty clause”).
324 29 U.S.C. § 652(8).
325 29 C.F.R. §§ 1910.101-1910.126.
326 Id. §§ 1910.132-1910.140.
327 Id. §§ 1910.301-1910.399.
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29 of the CFR. For example, OSHA has promulgated specific safety and health standards for the
longshoring328 and construction industries.329
To establish that an employer has violated a safety and health standard, OSHA must demonstrate
by a preponderance of the evidence: (1) the applicability of the standard; (2) the employer’s
noncompliance with the terms of the standard; (3) employee access or exposure to the violative
condition; and (4) the employer’s actual or constructive knowledge of the violation.330
Compliance with an OSHA standard does not relieve an employer from providing its employees
with safeguards against other known hazards, however. In International Union, United
Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America v. General Dynamics
Land Systems Division, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C.
Circuit) observed that the OSH Act’s general duty clause stil requires an employer to provide a
workplace free from recognized hazards.331 Addressing the relationship between OSHA’s safety
and health standards and the general duty clause, the D.C. Circuit explained: “[I]f an employer
knows that a specific standard wil not protect his workers against a particular hazard, his duty
under section 5(a)(1) wil not be discharged no matter how faithfully he observes that
standard.”332
General Duty Clause
Under the OSH Act’s general duty clause, employers must provide employment and workplaces
free from recognized hazards that cause or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.333
Congress reportedly adopted the general duty clause with the understanding that it would be
difficult for safety and health standards to address every conceivable situation.334 During
consideration of the OSH Act, the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare explained:
This legislation would be seriously deficient if any employee were killed or seriously
injured on the job simply because there was no specific standard applicable to a recognized
hazard which could result in such a misfortune. Therefore, to cover such circumstances the
committee has included a requirement to the effect that employers are to furnish
employment and places of employment which are free from recognized hazards to the
health and safety of their employees.335
To establish a violation of the general duty clause, OSHA must establish by a preponderance of
the evidence that: (1) an activity or condition in the employer’s workplace presented a hazard to
an employee, (2) either the employer or the industry recognized the condition or activity as a

328 Id. §§ 1918.1-1918.106.
329 Id. §§ 1926.1-1926.1442.
330 See Jake’s Fireworks, Inc. v. Acosta, 893 F.3d 1248, 1256 (10th Cir. 2018); Sanderson Farms, Inc. v. Perez, 811
F.3d 730, 735 (5th Cir. 2016).
331 815 F.2d 1570, 1571 (D.C. Cir. 1987).
332 Id. at 1577. See also Safeway, Inc. v. OSHRC, 382 F.3d 1189, 1194 (10th Cir. 2004) (“Where the employer has
knowledge of an obvious hazardous condition, however, compliance with specific standards failing to address the
hazard does not relieve the employer of the responsibility under the general duty clause to provide its employees with a
place of employment which is free from recognized hazards.”).
333 29 U.S.C. § 654(a)(1).
334 See S. REP. NO. 91-1282, at 9 (1970).
335 Id.
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hazard, (3) the hazard was likely to or actual y caused death or serious physical harm, and (4) a
feasible means to eliminate or material y reduce the hazard existed.336
Courts have ruled that the general duty clause does not apply if a hazard is so idiosyncratic that
the employer could not recognize it or develop a safety program to eliminate it.337 Courts have
also emphasized that an employee does not need to suffer actual harm to find a violation of the
general duty clause.338
OSHA Standards and COVID-19
Currently, none of OSHA’s existing occupational safety and health standards specifical y address
COVID-19 or workplace exposure to airborne pathogens, such as the coronavirus. OSHA has
promulgated a bloodborne pathogen standard,339 but acknowledges that the standard applies only
to “human blood and other potential y infectious materials that typical y do not include
respiratory secretions that may contain SARS-Co-V-2.”340 OSHA has, however, identified several
more general safety and health standards that it claims are relevant to prevent workplace exposure
to the coronavirus:
General Industry Standards
29 C.F.R. pt. 1910, subpt. I (Personal Protective Equipment): general requirements
(§ 1910.132); eye and face protection (§ 1910.133); respiratory protection (§ 1910.134);
hand protection (§ 1910.138)
29 C.F.R. pt. 1910, subpt. J (General Environmental Controls): sanitation (§ 1910.141)
29 C.F.R. pt. 1910, subpt. Z (Toxic and Hazardous Substances): access to employee
exposure and medical records (§ 1910.1020); bloodborne pathogens (§ 1910.1030); hazard
communication (§ 1910.1200); occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals in
laboratories (§ 1910.1450)
Construction Industry Standards
29 C.F.R. pt. 1926, subpt. C (General Safety and Health Provisions): access to employee
exposure and medical records (§ 1926.33)
29 C.F.R. pt. 1926, subpt. D (Occupational Health and Environmental Controls): sanitation
(§ 1926.51)

336 Fabi Constr. Co. v. Secretary of Lab., 508 F.3d 1077, 1081 (D.C. Cir. 2007); Int’l Union, United Auto., Aerospace
& Agric. Im plem ent Workers of Am ., 815 F.2d at 1577.
337 See Nat’l Realty & Constr. Co. v. OSHRC, 489 F.2d 1257, 1266 (D.C. Cir. 1973) (“Congress intended to require
elimination only of preventable hazards. It follows, we think, that Congress did not intend unpreventable hazards to be
considered ‘recognized’ under the clause.”); Gen. Dynamics Corp. v. OSHRC, 599 F.2d 453, 458 (1st Cir. 1979) (“ An
employer is not an insurer, and need not take steps to prevent hazards which are not generally foreseeable, including
idiosyncratic behavior of an employee, but at the same time an employer must do all it feasibly can to prevent
foreseeable hazards, including dangerous conduct by its employees.”).
338 See T itanium Metals Corp. of Am. v. Usery, 579 F.2d 536, 542 (9th Cir. 1978) (“[I]t is beyond dispute that an
accident need not occur for a violation of § 5(a)(1) properly to be found . . . .”); Nat’l Realty & Constr. Co., 489 F.2d at
1267 (“T o establish a violation of the general duty clause, hazardous conduct need not actually have occurred, for a
safety program’s feasibly curable inadequacies may sometimes be demonstrated before employees have acted
dangerously.”).
339 29 C.F.R. § 1910.1030.
340 Occupational Safety & Health Admin., COVID-19: Standards, https://www.osha.gov/SLT C/covid-
19/standards.html (last visited Aug. 11, 2020).
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29 C.F.R. pt. 1926, subpt. E (Personal Protective Equipment and Life Saving Equipment):
criteria for personal protective equipment (§ 1926.95); eye and face protection
(§ 1926.102); respiratory protection (§ 1926.103)
Agriculture Industry Standards
29 C.F.R. pt. 1928, subpt. I (General Environmental Controls): field sanitation
(§ 1928.110).341
Some labor organizations and observers have argued, however, that these standards do not
adequately protect workers from COVID-19-related risks.342 In March 2020, the American
Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) petitioned OSHA to issue
an emergency temporary standard (ETS) that would comprehensively address hazards associated
with COVID-19.343 The AFL-CIO contended:
There is no existing OSHA standard or basic regulatory framework that comprehensively
addresses an employer’s responsibility to protect workers from infectious diseases. In the
absence of a set of mandatory infection control requirements that employers must
implement, there is no assurance that all workers will be protected from infectious diseases
like COVID-19.344
While a federal safety and health standard usual y cannot become effective until OSHA publishes
the proposed standard in the Federal Register and offers interested parties an opportunity to
comment on it, the OSH Act authorizes OSHA to issue an ETS that takes immediate effect upon
publication in the Federal Register, if the agency determines that employees are exposed to
“grave danger . . . from new hazards, and . . . such emergency standard is necessary to protect
employees from such danger.”345
In April 2020, the Secretary of Labor indicated that OSHA would not adopt a COVID-19-specific
ETS.346 The Secretary maintained that the general duty clause and industry-specific guidance347
issued by OSHA in response to COVID-19 were sufficient to protect workers.348 The AFL-CIO
subsequently petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for an
order directing OSHA to promulgate an ETS.349 In In re AFL-CIO, a panel of the D.C. Circuit
declined to issue such an order, concluding that the Secretary’s decision was entitled to

341 Id.
342 See Kimberly Kindy, This Regulation Could Protect Health-Care Workers From the Coronavirus. It Hangs in
Lim bo, WASH. POST (Mar. 5, 2020), https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/this-regulation-could-protect-health-
care-workers-from-the-coronavirus-it-hangs-in-limbo/2020/03/05/9a066c36-5ef4-11ea-9055-5fa12981bbbf_story.html.
343 Am. Fed’n of Lab.-Cong. of Indus. Orgs., A Petition to Secretary Scalia for an OSHA Emergency T emporary
Standard for Infectious Disease (Mar. 6, 2020), available at https://aflcio.org/statements/petition-secretary-scalia-osha-
emergency-temporary-standard-infectious-disease [hereinafter AFL-CIO Petition]. For additional information on
COVID-19 and emergency temporary standards, see CRS Report R46288, Occupational Safety and Health
Adm inistration (OSHA): Em ergency Tem porary Standards (ETS) and COVID -19, by Scott D. Szymendera.
344 AFL-CIO Petition, supra note 343.
345 29 U.S.C. § 655(c).
346 Letter from Eugene Scalia, U.S. Secretary of Lab., to Richard L. T rumka, President, AFL -CIO (Apr. 30, 2020),
available at https://aboutblaw.com/Qzv.
347 See, e.g., Ctrs. for Disease Control & Prevention & Occupational Safety & Health Admin., Meat and Poultry
Processing Workers and Employers (July 9, 2020), available at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-
ncov/community/organizations/meat-poultry-processing-workers-employers.html.
348 Id.
349 Emergency Petition for a Writ of Mandamus, and Request for Expedited Briefing and Disposition, In re AFL-CIO,
No. 20-1158 (D.C. Cir. May 18, 2020).
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considerable deference.350 The panel ruled: “In light of the unprecedented nature of the COVID-
19 pandemic, as wel as the regulatory tools that the OSHA has at its disposal to ensure that
employers are maintaining hazard-free work environments . . . the OSHA reasonably determined
that an ETS is not necessary at this time.”351
The OSH Act and State Workplace Safety Requirements
Although OSHA has determined that a COVID-19-specific ETS is not necessary at this time,
some states have issued certain occupational safety and health standards that are pertinent to the
risks posed by the coronavirus. While the OSH Act outlines a national approach for ensuring
workplace safety, it also permits states to assume responsibility for enforcing occupational safety
and health standards. Section 18(a) of the act permits states to regulate matters that are not
governed by an OSHA standard.352 When OSHA has promulgated federal workplace safety and
health standards, section 18(b) of the OSH Act authorizes states to submit state plans for the
development and enforcement of their own standards.353 OSHA wil approve a state plan only if it
satisfies specified conditions. For example, the plan must provide for the development and
enforcement of safety and health standards that “are or wil be at least as effective in providing
safe and healthful employment and places of employment as the standards promulgated” by
OSHA.354 Notably, if OSHA approves a state plan, a state safety and health standard adopted
pursuant to that plan may impose requirements that differ from or are more stringent than
OSHA’s requirements.355 State standards adopted pursuant to an approved state plan displace the
federal standards promulgated by OSHA.356
To be approved by OSHA, a state plan must also include assurances that the state wil establish
and maintain an occupational safety and health program that applies to al state and local
government employees and is as effective as OSHA’s workplace standards.357 Of the 28 OSHA-

350 No. 20-1158, 2020 WL 3125324, at *1 (D.C. Cir. June 11, 2020).
351 Id. On July 28, 2020, the D.C. Circuit denied the AFL-CIO’s petition for a rehearing by the full court. Order, In re
AFL-CIO, No. 20-1158 (D.C. Cir. July 28, 2020).
352 29 U.S.C. § 667(a) (“Nothing in this chapter shall prevent any State agency or court from asserting jurisdiction
under State law over any occupational safety or health issue with respect to which no standard is in effect under section
[6 of the OSH Act].”). See also N.J. State Chamber of Commerce v. Hughey, 774 F.2d 587, 592 (3d Cir. 1985)
(“Section 18(a) of the OSH Act expressly gives the states authority to regulate matters that are not governed by a
standard.”).
353 29 U.S.C. § 667(b).
354 Id. § 667(c)(2).
355 Although employers in so-called “state plan states” are subject to state, rather than federal, occupational safety and
health standards, they remain subject to the OSH Act’s general duty clause. See Puffer’s Hardware, Inc. v. Donovan,
742 F.2d 12, 16 (1st Cir. 1984) (“ T here is nothing in either the language of [the OSH] Act or its history that indicates
that Congress intended compliance with the minimum standards of applicable state law to create an exemption from the
general duty clause.”).
356 Gade v. Nat’l Solid Wastes Mgmt. Ass’n, 505 U.S. 88, 100 (1992) (“[A] State may develop an occupational safety
and health program tailored to its own needs, but only if it is willing completely to displace the applicable federal
regulations.”).
357 29 U.S.C. § 667(c)(6).
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approved state plans, 22 plans cover both private and state and local government employees.358
The remaining six plans cover only state and local government employees.359
California has adopted an aerosol transmissible diseases (ATD) standard that applies to at least
some employers.360 Among the employers covered by the standard are healthcare facilities,
correctional facilities, and laboratories that perform procedures with materials that contain or are
reasonably anticipated to contain airborne pathogens.361 Under California’s ATD standard,
covered employers are required to implement an exposure control plan that addresses various
safety and health matters, including identifying and isolating airborne infectious disease cases,
and the procedures an employer wil use to communicate exposure incidents to employees.362 The
ATD standard also requires covered employers to use engineering and work practice controls to
minimize employee exposure to airborne pathogens.363 For example, the standard mandates the
development of procedures for cleaning and decontaminating work areas, vehicles, and other
equipment.364
In July 2020, Virginia adopted an ETS to protect private sector employees, as wel as state and
local employees, from workplace exposure to the coronavirus.365 The standard prohibits
employers from al owing an employee who is known or suspected to be infected with the virus
from reporting to or remaining in the workplace until the employee has been cleared to return to
work.366 The standard requires general y that employers ensure that employees observe physical
distancing while on duty and during paid break periods on the employer’s property.367 The
standard also imposes additional engineering and work practice controls based on the exposure
risk presented by an employer’s hazards or job duties.368
The Interaction Betw een OSHA Standards and Tort Law
Apart from applying of their own force, OSHA standards may also bear on whether a particular
defendant is liable for negligence.369 When evaluating whether a defendant engaged in conduct
that fel short of the applicable standard of care, the factfinder may usual y consider what a
reasonably prudent person would have done under the circumstances.370 In many jurisdictions, a

358 Occupational Safety & Health Admin., State Plans, https://www.osha.gov/stateplans (last visited Aug. 11, 2020).
T he following 22 states and territories have OSHA-approved state plans that cover private and state and local
government employees: Alaska; Arizona; California; Hawaii; Indiana; Iowa; Kentucky; Maryland; Michigan;
Minnesota; Nevada; New Mexico; North Carolina; Oregon; Puerto Rico; South Carolina; T ennessee; Utah; Vermont ;
Virginia; Washington; Wyoming. Id.
359 Id. T he following six states and territories have OSHA-approved state plans that cover only state and local
government employees: Illinois; Connecticut; Maine; New Jersey; New York; the Virgin Islands. Id.
360 CAL. CODE REGS. tit. 8, § 5199.
361 Id. § 5199(a)(1).
362 Id. § 5199(d).
363 Id. § 5199(e).
364 Id.
365 16 VA. ADMIN. CODE § 25-220.
366 Id. § 25-220-40.B.5.
367 Id. § 25-220-40.D.
368 See id. §§ 25-220-50, 25-220-60.
369 See supra “Negligence.”
370 See, e.g., Konar v. PFL Life Ins. Co., 840 A.2d 1115, 1119 (R.I. 2004) (“To succeed on a general claim for
negligence, [the] plaintiff must demonstrate that [the] defendant did not act as a ‘reasonably prudent [person] would
under the circumstances.’”) (quoting Vanvooren v. John E. Fogarty Mem’l Hosp., 321 A.2d 100, 102 (R.I . 1974));
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plaintiff may (at least in some circumstances) introduce OSHA standards as evidence of the steps
that a reasonably prudent participant in the defendant’s industry would have taken to prevent
injuries.371 At the same time, however, many courts also hold a defendant’s violation of an OSHA
standard does not automatical y prove that the defendant acted negligently.372 Thus, if OSHA
ultimately promulgates COVID-19-specific workplace safety regulations (or if Congress
specifical y commands OSHA to do so), those standards may be relevant to—but not necessarily
dispositive of—the question of whether a particular defendant is liable for negligently spreading
the coronavirus.
Proposals to Enhance Workplace Safety Standards
The 116th Congress has introduced legislation that would direct OSHA to promulgate a new ETS
to protect certain health care and other employees from workplace exposure to the coronavirus.
The COVID-19 Every Worker Protection Act of 2020 (H.R. 6559/S. 3677), for instance, would
command OSHA to issue an ETS that requires employers to develop and implement a
comprehensive infectious disease exposure control plan.373 The standard would also require
employers to adopt a policy prohibiting discrimination or retaliation against any employee who
reports violations of the control plan or good-faith concerns over a workplace infectious disease
hazard to any federal, state, or local government agency, the media, or a social media platform.
The 116th Congress has also introduced other bil s that would direct OSHA to promulgate an ETS
to protect health care employees and other employees that OSHA or the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention have determined to be at elevated risk.374
The Federal Securities Laws
Businesses’ potential COVID-19-related liability exposure is not limited to claims based on
disease transmission or unsafe working conditions. Under the federal securities laws, companies
that trade their securities on public markets, otherwise known as “public companies,” must
disclose material information about a range of evolving business risks, which may include

Bajwa v. Metro. Life Ins. Co., 804 N.E.2d 519, 530 (Ill. 2004) (“In an ordinary negligence case, the standard of care
required of a defendant is to act as would an ‘ordinarily careful person’ or a ‘reasonably prudent person.’”) (quoting
Jones v. Chi. HMO Ltd. of Ill., 730 N.E.2d 1119, 1130 (Ill. 2000)).
371 See, e.g., Scott v. Matlack, Inc., 39 P.3d 1160, 1170 (Colo. 2002) (holding that a jury may “hear evidence of OSH
Act regulations as some indication of the standard of care with which a reasonable person in the defendant’s position
should comply”); Alloway v. Bradlees, Inc., 723 A.2d 960, 967 (N.J. 1999) (“OSHA regulations are pertinent in
determining the nature and extent of any duty of care.”); Wendland v. AdobeAir, Inc., 221 P.3d 390, 395 (Ariz . Ct.
App. 2009) (stating that “the majority of courts in . . . jurisdictions that have considered the issue” allow “the admission
of OSHA standards as some evidence of the relevant standard of care”).
372 See, e.g., Scott, 39 P.3d at 1166 (observing that “a majority of courts . . . have ruled a defendant may not be held
negligent merely with proof that he violated an OSH Act regulation”); Alloway, 723 A.2d at 967 (“[T ]he finding of an
OSHA violation does not ipso facto constitute a basis for assigning negligence as a matter of law; that is, it does not
constitute negligence per se.”) (quoting Kane v. Hartz Mountain Indus., Inc., 650 A.2d 808, 815 (N.J. Super. Ct. App.
Div. 1994)).
373 T he COVID-19 Every Worker Protection Act of 2020 has also been included in title III, division L of the Heroes
Act, H.R. 6800, 116th Cong. §§ 120301-120303 (2d Sess. 2020).
374 COVID–19 Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2020, H.R. 6139, 116th Cong. (2d Sess. 2020); T ake
Responsibility for Workers and Families Act, H.R. 6379, 116th Cong. (2d Sess. 2020).
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COVID-19-related risks.375 If a company omits material information or provides misleading
statements, injured investors may seek remedies through civil litigation.376
Duty to Disclose Under the Federal Securities Laws
Disclosure requirements have been described as “the cornerstone of federal securities
regulation.”377 The Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”)—often referred to as the “truth in
securities” law378—requires companies engaging in primary securities offerings to provide
investors with material information about the securities that they offer and the associated risks.379
Similarly, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”) mandates that public companies
provide certain material information in periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC).380
The SEC’s Regulation S-X381 and Regulation S-K382 specify the information that a public
company must disclose in its securities offering documents and periodic filings, such as its
financial statements,383 business description,384 and various other items. For example, in the
Management’s Discussion and Analysis, or MD&A section of SEC-mandated public reports,
public companies must provide a narrative explanation of their financial statements.385 The
MD&A section also requires the company to disclose any known trends, events, or uncertainties
that are reasonably likely to have a material effect on the publicly-traded company’s financial
condition or operating performance beyond what its reported financial statements reflect.386 In the
Risk Factors section of SEC-mandated periodic reports, a company must disclose the most
significant risk factors that would make an investment in the company speculative or risky,
although the rule states that companies should not disclose risks that could apply generical y to
any security.387 Moreover, the SEC’s Rule 12b-20 also requires the company to disclose “such
further material information, if any, as may be necessary to make the required statements, in light
of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading.”388
In general, the federal securities laws require companies to disclose information that would be
material to an investor’s investment decisions.389 In Basic, Inc. v. Levinson,390 the Supreme Court

375 See 15 U.S.C. § 78l (“Registration Requirements for Securities”); id. § 78m (“Periodic and other reports”).
376 See id. § 77k (“Civil liabilities on account of false registration statement”); § 77l (“Civil liabilities arising in
connection with prospectuses and communications”); § 77q (“Fraudulent interstate transactions”); § 78j (“Manipulative
and deceptive devices”); id. § 78t-1 (“Liability to contemporaneous traders for insider trading”); 17 C.F.R. § 240.10b-5
(Employment of “manipulative and deceptive devices”).
377 See CRS In Focus IF11256, SEC Securities Disclosure: Background and Policy Issues, by Eva Su, at 1.
378 Id.
379 15 U.S.C. §§ 77a-77mm.
380 Id. §§ 78a-78kk.
381 17 C.F.R. Part 210.
382 Id. Part 229.
383 Id. § 210.1-01 (“Application of Regulation S-X”).
384 Id. § 229.101 (“Description of business”).
385 Id. § 229.303 (“Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations”).
386 Id.
387 Id. § 229.105 (“Risk factors”).
388 Id. § 240.12b-20 (“Additional information”).
389 See Su, supra note 377.
390 485 U.S. 224, 231 (1988).
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explained that information is “material” only if there is a “substantial likelihood” that its omission
would significantly alter the total mix of information available to investors. Under the securities
laws, investors can seek remedies for fraud through civil litigation if they believe a public
company’s material y misleading statements or omission of material facts has harmed them.391 To
establish a fraud claim under the securities laws, a plaintiff must show (1) a material
misrepresentation or omission; (2) scienter, or a wrongful, state of mind; (3) a connection with the
purchase of a security; (4) reliance on the misstatement or omission; (5) economic loss; and
(6) “loss causation,” i.e., a causal connection between the loss and the material representation or
omission.392
In the past, Congress has passed legislation intended to circumscribe shareholders’ ability to
pursue certain securities law claims. According to the Supreme Court, Congress enacted the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA)393 to “curb frivolous, lawyer-driven
litigation, while preserving investors’ ability to recover on meritorious claims.”394 In contrast to
the notice pleading standard employed in most federal civil actions395—which requires the
plaintiff’s complaint only to provide a short and plain statement of the facts giving rise to the
claim—the PSLRA specifies that the plaintiff’s complaint “shal specify each statement al eged to
have been misleading, the reason or reasons why the statement is misleading, and, if an al egation
regarding the statement or omission is made on information and belief, the complaint shal state
with particularity al facts on which that belief is formed.”396 In pleading the scienter element of
an Exchange Act claim, the PSLRA also requires that the al egations in the complaint not merely
give rise to an inference of a wrongful state of mind on the part of the defendant, but a strong
inference: “the complaint shal , with respect to each act or omission al eged to violate this title,
state with particularity facts giving rise to a strong inference that the defendant acted with the
required state of mind.”397
Additional y, as part of the PSLRA, Congress enacted a two-pronged “safe harbor” for certain
forward-looking statements made by issuers of securities to the public. Specifical y, the safe
harbor for forward-looking statements encourages issuers to disclose forward-looking
information, which may be quite valuable to investors, without fear of liability if those statements
do not come to fruition.398 A company may benefit from the safe harbor if it satisfies either prong.

391 See 17 C.F.R. § 240.10b-5. T he SEC also notes that “[i]nvestors who purchase securities and suffer losses have
important recovery rights if they can prove that there was incom plete or inaccurate disclosure of important
information.” Sec. & Exch. Comm’n, The Laws That Govern the Securities Industry, https://www.sec.gov/answers/
about-lawsshtml.html.
392 See Chiarella v. United States, 445 U.S. 222, 227-30 (1980); see also Samuel W. Buell, What is Securities Fraud, 61
DUKE L.J. 511, 545 (2011).
393 Pub. L. No. 104-67, 109 Stat. 737 (1995).
394 T ellabs v. Makor Issues & Rights, Ltd., 551 U.S. 308, 322 (2007).
395 See supra notes 132-133 and accompanying t ext.
396 15 U.S.C. § 78u-4(b)(1).
397 Id. § 78u-4(b)(2).
398 See H.R. REP. No. 104-369, at 42-43 (1995) (Conf. Rep.).
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Under the first prong of the safe harbor, the issuer is not liable for statements that it or its agents
“identified as a forward-looking statement, and [are] accompanied by meaningful cautionary
statements identifying important factors that could cause actual results to differ material y from
those in the forward-looking statement.”399 The safe harbor also protects oral forward-looking
statements if the speaker identifies them as such and points to a readily available document
discussing the factors that could cause actual results to differ.400
Alternatively, under the second prong, a safe harbor exists “if the plaintiff fails to prove that the
forward-looking statement . . . was made with actual knowledge . . . that the statement was false
or misleading.”401 Therefore, even in the absence of sufficient cautionary language, courts have
also applied the safe harbor to forward-looking statements when a plaintiff’s al egations were
insufficient to show actual knowledge as to the falsity or misleading nature of the statement.402
The safe harbor is not applicable to statements made in connection with an initial public offering
(IPO)403 or tender offer,404 or to financial statements prepared in accordance with general y
accepted accounting principles.405
COVID-19-Related Disclosure Obligations
On March 25, 2020, the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance (CF) issued guidance to public
companies on their disclosure and other securities law-related obligations in light of the COVID-
19 pandemic. In that guidance, the SEC counseled companies to “consider the need for COVID-
19-related disclosures within the context of the federal securities laws and our principles-based
disclosure system.”406 The guidance also includes a non-exhaustive list of COVID-19-related
business risks to consider, such as (1) COVID-19’s effect on a company’s financial condition,
operations, or assets; (2) COVID-19’s effect on a company’s ability to timely account for assets

399 15 U.S.C. §§ 77z-2(c)(1)(A), 78u-5(c)(1)(A). The first prong of the safe harbor is built upon the less strict “bespeaks
caution” doctrine developed in pre-PSLRA case law, under which “courts will ‘dismiss[] securities fraud claims
. . . because cautionary language in the offering document negated the materiality of an alleged misrepresentation or
omission.” See Nat’l Junior Baseball League v. Pharmanet Dev. Grp. Inc., 720 F. Supp. 2d 517, 533 & n.14 (D.N.J.
2010). Courts have grappled with the circumstances in which a cautionary statement will qualify as “ mea ningful” under
the PSLRA. One court has explained that “ [t]he requirement for ‘meanin gful’ cautions calls for substantive company-
specific warnings based on a realistic description of the risks applicable to the particular circumstances.” Southland
Sec. Corp. v. INSpire Ins. Solutions, Inc., 365 F.3d 353, 372 (5th Cir. 2002). Along these lines, the D.C. Circuit has
said that “mere boilerplate,” such as “[t]his is a forward-looking statement: caveat emptor,” “does not meet the
statutory standard because by its nature it is general and ubiquitous, not tailored to the specific circumstances of a
business operation, and not of useful quality.” In re Harman Int’l Indus., Inc. Sec. Litig., 791 F.3d 90, 102 (D.C. Cir.
2015) (quoting Asher v. Baxter Int’l Inc., 377 F.3d 727, 729 (7th Cir. 2004)).
400 15 U.S.C. §§ 77z-2(c)(2), 78u-5(c)(2); see also In re S1 Corp. Sec. Litig., 173 F. Supp. 2d 1334, 1356-57 (N.D. Ga.
2001).
401 15 U.S.C. §§ 77z-2(c)(1)(B), 78u-5(c)(1)(B).
402 See, e.g., Williams v. Globus Med., Inc., 869 F.3d 235, 245-46 (3d Cir. 2017).
403 An initial public offering, or IPO, is when a company first sells shares to the public. See Sec. & Exch. Comm’n,
Initial Public Offerings (IPO), https://www.sec.gov/fast -answers/answersipohtm.html.
404 A tender offer is “ an active and widespread solicitation by a company or third party (often called the ‘bidder’ or
‘offeror’) to purchase a substantial percentage of the company’s securities.” Sec. & Exch. Comm’n, Tender Offer,
INVESTOR.GOV, https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/glossary/tender-offer.
405 15 U.S.C. §§ 77z-2(b)(2), 78u-5(b)(2); see also In re Unicapital Corp. Sec. Litig., 149 F. Supp. 2d 1353, 1373-74
(S.D. Fla. 2001) (holding that the PSLRA safe harbor does not protect statements contained in an IPO registration
statement, but applying the safe harbor analysis t o later statements contained in press releases).
406 Sec. & Exch. Comm’n, CF Disclosure Guidance: T opic No. 9 (March 25, 2020), available at https://www.sec.gov/
corpfin/coronavirus-covid-19.
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or maintain operations in light of the pandemic; (3) the pandemic’s effect on supply chains,
distribution methods, or demand for products; and (4) any COVID-19-related constraints on
human capital resources a company may experience, including those caused by travel restrictions
and border closures.407
While “encourag[ing] companies to provide disclosures that al ow investors to evaluate the
current and expected impact of COVID-19 through the eyes of management,” the guidance also
noted that “much of the disclosure that would address the types of considerations noted above
would involve forward looking information that may be based on assumptions and expectations
regarding future events.”408 As the SEC explained,
providing forward-looking information in an effort to keep investors informed about
material developments, including known trends or uncertainties regarding COVID-19, can
be undertaken in a way to avail companies of the safe harbors in Section 27A [15 U.S.C.
§ 77z-2] of the Securities Act and Section 21E [15 U.S.C. § 78u-5] of the Exchange Act
for this information.409
As noted above, these safe harbors, enacted as part of the PSLRA, shield companies from liability
for forward-looking statements as long as they are so identified and are accompanied by
cautionary language.410
As of August 28, 2020, the Stanford Law School Securities Class Action Clearinghouse has
recorded 16 COVID-19-related securities class actions.411 Shareholders’ COVID-19-related
securities claims have almost exclusively involved al egations of securities fraud involving
companies’ material misstatements or omissions regarding the effects of COVID-19 on their
businesses.412 In one action, for example, after the Miami New Times published leaked emails
suggesting that a company may have directed its sales staff to lie to customers about COVID-19
risk, the company’s investors sued the company, al eging that it had made false and misleading
statements.413 As the shareholders al eged in their complaint: “(1) the Company was employing
sales tactics of providing customers with unproven and/or blatantly false statements about
COVID-19 to entice customers to purchase cruises, thus endangering the lives of both their
customers and crew members; and (2) as a result, Defendants’ statements regarding the
Company’s business and operations were material y false and misleading and/or lacked a
reasonable basis at al relevant times.”414
Proposals to Amend the Federal Securities Laws
Some commentators propose amending the federal securities laws to impose additional
requirements on shareholders who wish to bring COVID-19-related securities litigation.
Proposed amendments include: (1) providing for exclusive federal jurisdiction for securities fraud

407 Id.
408 Id.
409 Id.
410 See supra note 399 and accompanying text.
411 Stanford L. Sch., Current Topics in Securities Class Action Filings, SECURITIES CLASS ACTION CLEARINGHOUSE: A
COLLABORATION WITH CORNERSTONE RESEARCH, http://securities.stanford.edu/current -topics.html.
412 See id.
413 See Kevin LaCroix, Cruise Line Shareholder Files First Coronavirus-Related Securities Suit, T he D&O Diary (Mar.
13, 2020), https://www.dandodiary.com/2020/03/articles/securities-litigation/cruise-line-shareholder-files-first-
coronavirus-related-securities-suit/.
414 Complaint at 7, Douglas v. Norwegian Cruise Lines, No. 1:20-cv-21107 (S.D. Fla. Mar. 12, 2020), ECF No. 1.
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claims related to COVID-19, which would al ow federal judges to handle such claims and limit
any state-court biases against out-of-state defendants; (2) staying court proceedings until the
President rescinds his national emergency declaration “to ensure that American businesses are
able to focus on pressing health and economic recovery issues” as opposed to responding to
securities litigation; and (3) expanding heightened pleading standards in al COVID-19-related
securities lawsuits to require plaintiffs to state al elements of their claim with particularity.415 As
noted above, the PSLRA already imposes heightened pleading requirements on some elements of
securities law claims.416
Proponents argue that these proposals would decrease public companies’ litigation risk in the
event that their stock prices decrease during the pandemic, a time when stock prices are likely to
be volatile due to broad economic disruptions.417 They also argue that, while “[s]ecurities fraud
claims should not succeed simply because a company’s stock fel after a pandemic,” “corporate
disclosures relating to performance, projections and the potential impact of the virus often wil be
viewed in hindsight; and the context—that is, the specific disclosures and factual circumstances
underlying each case—may significantly affect potential liability.”418
Others, however, maintain that “COVID-19 itself has not been much of a factor in private
securities filings so far.”419 Data from the Stanford Law School Securities Class Action
Clearinghouse supports this analysis. While it is possible that a surge in class actions may stil
emerge, the database has recorded only 16 COVID-19-related securities class actions as of
August 28, 2020.420 These securities class actions have been filed exclusively in federal court.421
Moreover, as noted above, shareholders’ COVID-19-related securities claims have almost
exclusively involved al egations of securities fraud, and such claims arguably are already limited
by the heightened pleading standard to which they are subject.422 As discussed above, under the
PSLRA, plaintiffs al eging COVID-19-related securities fraud are required to al ege with
specificity what statements were al egedly fraudulent, why they were fraudulent, and the facts
evidencing the defendant’s wrongful state of mind. Lower courts have disagreed regarding the
extent to which heightened pleading standards apply to other elements of securities fraud, such as
loss causation, i.e., the causal connection between the loss and the material representation or
omission.423 However, it is possible that Rule 9(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which

415 See U.S. Chamber Inst. for L. Reform, COVID-19: Federal Liability Problems and Solutions, ILR BRIEFLY (May
2020), https://www.instituteforlegalreform.com/uploads/sites/1/ILR_Briefly_COVID19_Series_Federal_Problems
Solutions_May2020.pdf.
416 See supra notes 396-397 and accompanying text.
417 See U.S. Chamber Inst. for L. Reform, supra note 415.
418 Id.
419 See Alison Frankel, There is no wave of COVID-19 shareholders’ class actions (yet), REUTERS (July 27, 2020),
https://www.reuters.com/article/legal-us-otc-securities/there-is-no-wave-of-covid-19-shareholders-class-actions-
idUSKCN24S2IV.
420 See Stanford L. Sch., supra note 411.
421 A breakdown by district court of the 16 class actions identified in the Stanford Class Action Clearinghouse is as
follows: Four COVID-19-related class actions filed in the Southern District of New York; three filed in the Southern
District of Florida; two filed in the Eastern District of New York; two filed in the Northern District of California; one
filed in the Central District of California; one filed in the Southern District of California; one filed in the District of
Utah; one filed in the Southern District of Indiana; one filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Id.
422 See id.
423 See Or. Pub. Employees Ret . Fund v. Apollo, Inc., 774 F.3d 598, 604 (9th Cir. 2014) (noting that, while “[s]ome of
our sister circuits have suggested heightened pleading standards should apply to loss causation,” “[o]ther circuits have
suggested that heightened pleading standards do not apply to loss causation”); see also supra note 392 and
accompanying text.
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creates a heightened pleading standard for fraud claims general y, also would apply to elements of
securities fraud claims not specifical y addressed by the PSLRA.424 For example, in Oregon
Public Employees Retirement Fund v. Apollo Group, Inc., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth
Circuit held that Rule 9(b)’s heightened pleading standards applied to loss causation in a
securities fraud action.425 As the court explained, “Rule 9(b) clearly states that in al eging fraud or
mistake, a party must state with particularity the circumstances constituting fraud or mistake.”426
Thus, it is possible that Congress might conclude that existing limitations on securities-fraud
lawsuits are sufficient without additional legislation to manage any potential COVID-19-related
securities fraud claims.

Author Information

Kevin M. Lewis
Wen W. Shen
Legislative Attorney
Legislative Attorney

Joshua T. Lobert
Jon O. Shimabukuro
Legislative Attorney
Legislative Attorney

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan
shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and
under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should n ot be relied upon for purposes other
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copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

424 See supra note 134 and accompanying text.
425 See Or. Pub. Employees Ret. Fund, 774 F.3d at 604.
426 Id. at 605; see also Katyle v. Penn Nat’l Gaming, Inc., 637 F.3d 462, 471 (4th Cir. 2011) (“We review allegations of
loss causation for ‘sufficient specificity,’ a standard largely consonant with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b)’s
requirement that averments of fraud be made with particularity.”) (quoting In re Mut. Funds Inv. Litig., 566 F.3d 111,
119-20 (4th Cir. 2009)).
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