The District of New Jersey granted a motion to dismiss a restaurant owner’s purported class action lawsuit seeking business interruption coverage by analyzing: (1) the New Jersey Governor’s Executive Order and (2) the policy language, in a commercial all-risk property damage policy, that excluded coverage for losses covered by viruses.
To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner Sheila Raftery Wiggins, please visit the Duane Morris Insurance Blog.
With Thanksgiving upon us, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Rachel Levine announced additional mitigation orders to help stop the spread of COVID-19 during the holiday season. The new orders include targeted business restrictions and a new enforcement plan that includes liability protection for businesses enforcing the Secretary of Health’s strengthened mask-wearing order. These latest orders come on the heels of Pennsylvania’s expanded travel restrictions and required use of face coverings.
To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.
In the midst of a second and serious wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, New York has been busy updating guidance, restrictions and other laws. While seemingly unrelated, each is a direct result of what we are experiencing in this new normal environment. They include travel advisories, New York Forward Phase IV regulations and amendments to the WARN Act.
To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.
On November 20, 2020, the Pennsylvania General Assembly enacted House Bill 1737, which creates a temporary safe harbor for schools, child care facilities, health care providers and other business and government service providers facing COVID-19-related lawsuits.
To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.
On November 16, 2020, New Jersey Governor Murphy signed Executive Order 196, which further tightens restrictions on various types of gatherings, both indoor and outdoor. This new order comes on the heels of Executive Order 194, which created additional restrictions for certain industries, and Executive Order 192, which created a uniform set of safety restrictions for all businesses in the state. Executive Order 196 essentially decreases indoor and outdoor gathering limits in response to the rising number of positive COVID-19 cases.
To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.
With COVID-19 cases increasing across the country and the holiday travel season approaching, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced two orders on November 17, 2020, requiring new travel restrictions and expanding the required use of face coverings. On November 16, 2020, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney also announced new mandatory guidelines for individuals and businesses that are arguably some of the most restrictive in the nation, harkening back to the city’s stay-at-home order from the spring.
To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.
On November 17, 2020, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced a new statewide resurgence mitigation plan intended to help combat the recent surge of COVID-19 positivity rates throughout the state. The new Tier 3 resurgence mitigation restrictions impact most businesses and are effective November 20, 2020.
To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.
Employers with workers in California, get ready! New reporting requirements for COVID-19 exposures at work take effect January 1, 2021. AB 685 imposes obligations for private and public employers to quickly notify employees and employers of subcontracted employees of COVID-19 exposures and to notify public health officials of outbreaks in the workplace. The new law permits the California Division of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to shut down a workplace due to COVID-19.
To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.
On November 17, 2020, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced new measures in response to the recent uptick in statewide COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and ICU admissions. The governor issued an executive order imposing capacity restrictions on restaurants, bars and other indoor establishments. The Maryland Department of Health also issued a series of orders restricting visitation at hospitals and nursing homes. The statewide orders carry the force of law and violations are punishable by fines up to $5,000 and up to one year in prison.
To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.
On November 16, 2020, Governor Murphy announced new restrictions given New Jersey’s rising COVID-19 cases. The focus for the moment is on reducing the number of people allowed to gather both indoors and outdoors. Continue reading “New Jersey Reduces Permitted Numbers for Indoor and Outside Gatherings Given Increasing COVID-19 Numbers”
