The Novel Coronavirus Pandemic: A Quintessential Force Majeure Event

“People plan, and Fate laughs.”  As the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdowns and shutdowns continue, businesses should review their key contracts for a routine clause that suddenly looms large—the force majeure clause. As some lawyers say, it never hurts to actually read the contract. What does a Force Majeure Clause Do?   A force…

Business Interruption and “Physical Damage” In a Time of Pandemic

By Mark Slater and Junyong Huang-Stowers We hope everyone reading this is healthy, safe and following the guidelines for prudent behavior during this difficult time. Hollywood raised it years ago in The Andromeda Strain, Outbreak, and more recently in Contagion.  There have been significant viral infections in past years, like SARS and H1N1.  The Naval…