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News Sept. 21, 2020

Ohio bill protects employers from civil lawsuits

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed House Bill 606 into law, providing civil immunity to essential workers that unknowingly spread COVID-19 in the workplace, according to abc6onyourside.com.

The bill states: “No civil action for damages for injury, death, or loss to person or property shall be brought against any person if the cause of action on which the civil action is based, in whole or in part, is that the injury, death, or loss to person or property is caused by the exposure to, or the transmission or contraction of, MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, or SARS-CoV-2, or any mutation thereof, unless it is established that the exposure to, or the transmission or contraction of, any of those viruses or mutations was by reckless conduct or intentional misconduct or willful or wanton misconduct on the part of the person against whom the action is brought.”

Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof said the bill is a significant step in protecting schools, health care providers and small businesses.

“Ohio’s small businesses and schools are working hard to reopen, bring back employees, and safely welcome their customers and students,” Obhof said. “This legislation helps provide the peace of mind they need to reopen as we work together to rebuild Ohio's economy.”

Obhof said the bill protects against frivolous lawsuits that allege exposure to COVID-19 on the entity’s premises unless it is found the business owner, school or provider acted with reckless intentional misconduct to spread the virus.

The protections under the bill are retroactive to the date of the declared state of emergency in Ohio—March 9—and will continue through Sept. 30, 2021.

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