More than 200 COVID complaints against firms in US courts

U.S. courts have seen more than 200 complaints filed against corporations alleging they are responsible for introducing and spreading COVID-19, Praedicat Inc. said Monday.

As of July 13, more than half (55%) of complaints filed have involved allegations of personal injury or threat of personal injury among cruise ship passengers, nursing home residents and employees, the Los Angeles-based analytics firm said in a statement.

Hospitals, meat packing facilities, restaurants and warehouses are the industries where there are significant clusters of COVID-19 complaints, according to Praedicat’s litigation tracker.

The tracker is also capturing shareholder actions alleging corporate officers breached their fiduciary duty during the pandemic, Praedicat said.

“Already, we are seeing that nursing home complaints are accelerating while cruise line complaints are leveling off,” David Loughran, head of product and chief economist at Praedicat, said in the statement.

The tracker reports on casualty-relevant litigation related to COVID-19 brought in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. federal courts.

Coverage disputes and actions related to prisons and detention facilities are not included.

More insurance and risk management news on the coronavirus crisis here.