Many trial lawyers, like most people, are doing everything they can to abate the coronavirus. Others, however, appear to see this pandemic as a major business opportunity. As with other types of litigation, their goal is to find a way to externalize responsibility for someone’s disease upon a solvent and ideally “deep-pocketed” business or industry.

When this pandemic runs its course, litigation will likely follow. How much it spreads, much like the coronavirus, remains to be seen. Lawsuits, however, will likely take many forms. They will range from individuals suing thoughtless neighbors who sneezed in public while exhibiting symptoms, to actions against large entities who said or did virtually anything that facilitated the virus’s spread. It is only a matter of time until we see daily trial lawyer advertisements asking, “Have you or a loved one been harmed by the coronavirus?”