Trump Says He's Aiming to Shield Corporations From Legal Liability for Workers Who Contract Covid-19 [View all]

[Mr. Sparkle]

President Donald Trump said during a press briefing Monday evening that his administration is aiming to shield corporations from legal responsibility for workers who contract the novel coronavirus on the job, a move that the Chamber of Commerce and right-wing advocacy groups are aggressively lobbying for as the White House pushes to reopen the U.S. economy against the warnings of public health experts. "We are trying to take liability away from these companies," Trump said in response to a reporter's question on the subject. "We just don't want that because we want the companies to open and to open strong. But I'll get you a legal opinion on that."

The president claimed that his administration had not previously discussed the issue of corporate liability, but the New York Times reported that business executives raised the matter with Trump in a conference call last week. An "issue of great concern to the executives on the call," according to the Times, "was the need to address the liability companies could face if employees got sick after returning to work, given the possibility that workers who felt that they were brought back too soon—or were not placed in a safe environment—could sue en masse."

Additionally, the Washington Post reported earlier this month that Trump administration officials discussed including in the next stimulus package "a waiver that would clear businesses of liability from employees who contract the coronavirus on the job."

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/04/21/trump-says-hes-aiming-shield-corporations-legal-liability-workers-who-contract-covid