INDIANAPOLIS — The coronavirus is wreaking havoc on the health of Americans and the American economy, but it may also be the root cause for some lawsuits in the near future.
Prof. Nathaniel Grow, a business law expert with the IU Kelley School of Business, tells Inside Indiana Business the legal ramifications of canceling events, such as the NCAA Tournament, because the virus could be huge once the dust settles and that they are on both sides of the coin.
“You’ve got competing concerns going both ways,” Grow said. “The potential for if I’m a player and I get exposed to something and I get gravely ill and the school or conference is forcing me to play. There’s also the exposure to the fans.”
“On the other hand, by canceling the Big Ten Tournament, you know, there are potential legal ramifications for that from the TV contracts perspective or from the marketing that’s done in the stadium,” he added. “Either way there are legal ramifications, it’s just a matter of how the contracts were written.”
Grow said the NCAA is giving up over a billion dollars in TV revenue by canceling “March Madness,” not to mention millions more in ticket sales. He said with all that money on the line, there’s bound to be a few lawsuits filed.
Grow said this whole situation is uncharted territory.
