FILE—A sign for the Big Moose Inn is seen Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, near Millinocket, Maine. The inn was the setting for an Aug. 7 wedding reception that has since been linked to numerous cases of the coronavirus, and several deaths. Plans for a lawsuit against the Maine venue that hosted what became a "super spreader" wedding reception underscore the liability risks to small businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic and an uphill push by Republicans in Congress to give such outfits legal immunity. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
Businesses, lacking legal immunity, fear COVID-19 lawsuits
By David Sharp/AP
Robert F. Bukaty / AP
FILE—A sign for the Big Moose Inn is seen Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, near Millinocket, Maine. The inn was the setting for an Aug. 7 wedding reception that has since been linked to numerous cases of the coronavirus, and several deaths. Plans for a lawsuit against the Maine venue that hosted what became a "super spreader" wedding reception underscore the liability risks to small businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic and an uphill push by Republicans in Congress to give such outfits legal immunity. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
(Portland, Maine) — A battle over providing businesses with legal immunity to COVID-19 lawsuits is on hold for the time being in Congress, but businesses are still worried.
Several hundred coronavirus-related lawsuits have been filed across the country.
Mom-and-pop outfits without deep pockets most fear the prospect of crippling lawsuits.
In Maine, the case of a family-owned venue that hosted what became a “superspreader” wedding reception highlights the liability risks.
Attorney Paul Brown says businesses that are trying to do the right thing deserve some sort of protection.
But it might be difficult for plaintiffs to prove they caught the virus at a specific establishment.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
