To require a particular jury instruction in Federal civil actions that include a claim for damages based on negligence arising from the transmission of COVID-19.

Bill: 116-hr-6601
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Biggs, Andy [R-AZ-5]
Introduced: 2020-04-23
Policy area: Law
Subjects: Business ethics

Cardiovascular and respiratory health

Civil actions and liability

Emergency medical services and trauma care

Evidence and witnesses

Infectious and parasitic diseases
Latest action: action_date: 2020-04-23
text: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-04-23
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This bill requires a specific jury instruction in civil actions in federal court that include a claim alleging negligence arising from the transmission of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) and a request for damages. Specifically,&nbsp;a court must instruct&nbsp;the jury that negligence may not be found solely on the basis of holding oneself open for business. </p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6601 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 23, 2020 Mr. Biggs introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To require a particular jury instruction in Federal civil actions that include a claim for damages based on negligence arising from the transmission of COVID–19.

1. Jury instruction in Federal civil actions that include a claim alleging negligence arising from the transmission of COVID–19 In a Federal civil action that includes a claim alleging negligence arising from the transmission of COVID–19 and a request for damages, the court shall instruct a jury that— (1) the liability standard is the reasonable person standard, (2) a person is negligent if the person either does something that a reasonably careful person would not do in the same situation, or fails to do something that a reasonably careful person would do, in the same situation, (3) the act of opening a business, by itself, shall be considered to be reasonable as a matter of law, and (4) the negligence may not be found solely on the basis of holding oneself open for business.