(INDIANAPOLIS) — Legislators are moving quickly to head off lawsuits against businesses over coronavirus infections.
House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Torr (R-Carmel) says it’ll be harder for businesses to reopen if they have to worry about being sued because someone caught coronavirus there. Both his bill and a Senate version would ban such suits against businesses, hospitals, or nonprofits unless you can persuade a judge or jury there was “gross negligence or willful misconduct.”
House and Senate leaders have said they may try to fast-track the bill to Governor Holcomb next month — normally, each chamber waits till March to deal with bills the other chamber passed.
The liability shield was one of the key stumbling blocks which delayed agreement on last month’s pandemic relief package in Congress, where Republicans and Democrats remain stalemated on the issue. But House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta (D-Fort Wayne) and Senate Minority Leader Greg Taylor (D-Indianapolis) have supported the premise of the bill, though Taylor criticizes Republicans for prioritizing business assistance. He contends legislators aren’t giving enough attention to helping individual Hoosiers.
The House version of the bill would also ban class-action COVID suits.Torr says he expects to hold a hearing on the bill next week, one week after Wednesday’s committee hearing in the Senate.
