CHARLESTON – West Virginia Senate President Mitch Carmichael says legislation is being drafted to ensure liability protections to protect small business owners and workers, especially health care workers who are protecting our state’s citizens amid the Coronavirus pandemic.
Carmichael said the legislation will fight against lawsuit abuse and those who seek to take advantage of the COVID-19 crisis. He called these legal protections an important step to protect workers and small business owners and reopen the state’s economy.
“Many West Virginians, especially our frontline healthcare workers and first responders, have worked tirelessly to do their part to defeat this horrible virus and keep West Virginia safe,” Carmichael said. “We owe it to these hard-working men and women of our state to provide protections against unwarranted and predatory liability lawsuits.
Joyce
“While courageous West Virginia workers and small businesses fight valiantly to assist our neighbors in recovering the health and economic vitality of our communities, we must do our part to ensure they have legal protections against those seeking to line their own pockets and leave real West Virginians to pay the tab.
“It is disappointing to observe solicitations and advertisements for lawsuits against our brave front line workers and businesses.”
Carmichael said he believes the Legislature can quickly take action that will provide protections against these lawsuits.
“Conservatives in the Legislature have helped create more than 30,000 new jobs, and the state’s economy was one of the fastest growing in the nation,” he said. “Then the COVID-19 crisis hit and caused an economic crisis that has hurt West Virginia’s workers and small business owners.
“All West Virginians should be focused on how best to help our state’s workers get back to work and small businesses to open back up and create even more jobs. We should reject any effort to take advantage of our courts in this crisis to make millions on the backs of real West Virginians.”
The American Tort Reform Assocation praised Carmichael’s efforts.
“ATRA supports legislative action to protect health care workers and other businesses from Coronavirus-related liability and applauds Senate President Carmichael’s leadership on this critical issue,” ATRA President Tiger Joyce said in a statement. “We look forward to seeing legislation in West Virginia to protect front line workers and businesses from lawsuits.
“As businesses reopen, they should be able to stay open and not be ruined by predatory lawsuits looking to take advantage of a crisis.”
Joyce said ATRA supports legislation that allows health care workers to fight Coronavirus to the best of their abilities each day without fear of legal repercussions. He said legislation also should establish clear guidelines regarding liability for businesses that reopen as well as protections for businesses that have shifted their manufacturing facilities to make essential products.