Can I Sue a Business for Health Safety Violations in Massachusetts?

When we patronize a business, we expect a reasonable degree of safety. This is especially true for businesses like airlines or cruise lines where the company oversees securing its clients safety and comfort. What happens when that process goes awry and instead of keeping their passengers safe, businesses instead cause them harm? With the spread of COVID-19 people are asking as to whether businesses can be held responsible for exposure and  if they can sue a business for contracting covid-19.

Does a business have a responsibility to keep its clients safe?

This might seem like a straightforward question, but the response might surprise you. Many will believe that businesses responsible for transporting individuals from Place A to Place B absolutely have a responsibility to keep their passengers safe. And while that assertion makes sense, it doesn’t necessarily apply in this instance. Businesses must make all reasonable attempts possible to keep passengers safe, of course, but the question of what, exactly those “reasonable attempts” consists of is the real question. It would be in your best interest to consult with a Covid-19 lawyer in Massachusetts.

Novel Coronavirus and Airline/Cruise Line Responsibility

What reasonable measures should an airline or cruise line be taking when it comes to COVID-19? The fact is that most of these businesses most likely can’t be held responsible for actions they took before they knew the virus was present. That means that even if you were exposed to the infection on the ship or airplane, if the business didn’t know that someone with the virus was present, there are few reasonable actions they could expected to have taken.

The exception, of course, comes when the business did know that an infected individual was on board and they failed to take reasonable action to protect everyone else. If your flight was grounded or your ship stopped, for example, after the news about the virus spread and the business failed to do all they could to get the healthy individuals out harm’s way, then it is possible they could be held responsible in some fashion.

Have you been injured due to COVID-19? If you believe that you have been infected as the result of negligent business practices and would like to find out if you can sue a business for Covid-19, reaching out to an experienced Massachusetts personal injury attorney for a Free Legal Consultation is the best step to take. They can help decide if you have a case as well as what your next steps should be.