'Take home' lawsuits over COVID infections could be costly for US employers

REUTERS: U.S. businesses with COVID-19 outbreaks are facing an emerging legal threat from claims that workers brought coronavirus home and infected relatives, which one risk analysis firm said could cost employers billions of dollars.

The lawsuit against Aurora alleges that Ricardo Ugalde worked"shoulder to shoulder" on the company's processing line in April when Aurora knew it had a coronavirus outbreak at its facility and failed to warn employees or adopt any infection prevention measures.Between 7per cent and 9per cent of the roughly 200,000 U.S.

But Esperanza Ugalde was not an employee of Aurora, so her family can sue the company. Depending on the circumstances, a successful wrongful death case can top US$1 million in damages. Attorneys for both plaintiffs and companies said successful cases require a strong"causal chain" linking the sick family member to the worker and then to the business and the business's alleged failure to adopt safety measures.

Company owner Tim Byrne said his five employees wore masks routinely before the pandemic to protect against dust and regularly used gloves.Lawyers said employers would likely be reluctant to settle the cases for significant sums until claims were vetted in the court system.

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