In maritime law, the “Act of God” defense – also known as force majeure – was once a reliable shield for operators facing liability after a natural disaster. If a storm, hurricane, or earthquake caused damage that no human skill could have prevented, the party could, in theory, escape legal responsibility. But in practice –
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (“WHO”), officially declared COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus, a pandemic with nearly 120,000 confirmed cases in 114 countries and over 4,000 deaths. With the number of cases, deaths, and countries affected expected to climb in the coming days and weeks, the virus’ global impact is extremely uncertain