Welcome to our COVID-19 (Coronavirus) resources page.  Below are links to Baker Sterchi blog posts, news and other resources related to COVID-19 issues.  Additional resources can be found on ALFA International's COVID-19 resources page.  Baker Sterchi is a member of ALFA's premier network of 150 member firms throughout the world. 

February 16, 2021 | Do Illinois Businesses Face a Wave of Lawsuits Following the COVID-19 Pandemic? (Illinois Law Blog)

January 6, 2021 | Court Holds COVID-19 Government Closures Do Not Trigger Business Interruption Coverage (Insurance Law Blog)

December 30, 2020 | Single-Insurer MDLs Are Among Us - JPML Allows Centralization of COVID-19 Insurance Coverage Cases (Insurance Law Blog)

December 21, 2020 | Parson's Pandemic Protections for Providers – Governor Parson Encourages Tort Liability Legislation During COVID-19 State of Emergency (Healthcare Law Blog Post)

December 21, 2020 | Parson's Pandemic Protections for Providers – Governor Parson Encourages Tort Liability Legislation During COVID-19 State of Emergency (Missouri Law Blog Post)

November 25, 2020 | Greg Odom to Present to Members of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce on Illinois COVID-19 Executive Order No. 56 (Speaking Engagement)

November 12, 2020 | Greg Odom to Present to Members of the Marion Chamber of Commerce on Executive Order Number 56 (Speaking Engagement)

October 20, 2020 | Western District of Texas provides insureds with "out" to skirt federal jurisdiction in COVID-19 business interruption coverage cases (Insurance Law Blog Post)

September 14, 2020 | Federal Court Denies Motion to Dismiss Action for COVID-19 Related Losses under an All-Risk Policy (Insurance Law Blog Post)

September 2, 2020 | One [Insurance] Policy Does Not Fit All - JPML Limits Centralization of COVID-19 Insurance Coverage Cases...At This Time (Insurance Law Blog Post)

August 10, 2020 | Josh Davis to Present at PLRB Virtual Conference on COVID-19 Challenges (Speaking Engagement)

June 30, 2020 | Telehealth and Cybersecurity Amid the Pandemic (Healthcare Law Blog Post)

June 9, 2020 | COVID-19 and Possible Changes to Workers' Compensation Laws in Illinois and Missouri (Illinois Law Blog Post)

June 9, 2020 | COVID-19 and Possible Changes to Workers' Compensation Laws in Illinois and Missouri (Missouri Law Blog Post)

May 7, 2020 | COVID-19 Healthcare Heroics May Ironically Lead to Future Confrontations - Causation Issues (Part 4) (Healthcare Law Blog Post)

May 5, 2020 | COVID-19 Healthcare Heroics May Ironically Lead to Future Confrontations - State Executive Orders (Part 3) (Healthcare Law Blog Post)

May 1, 2020 | COVID-19 Healthcare Heroics May Ironically Lead to Future Confrontations – Crisis Standard of Care? (Part 2) (Healthcare Law Blog Post)

April 30, 2020 | Tips for Small Businesses Considering PPP Loan Relief (Financial Services Law Blog Post)

April 29, 2020 | COVID-19 Healthcare Heroics May Ironically Lead to Future Confrontations - Introduction (Part 1) (Healthcare Law Blog Post)

April 23, 2020 | Long-Term Effects on Long-Term Care Facilities: Potential Increased Litigation Due to COVID-19 (Healthcare Law Blog Post)

April 22, 2020 | HHS Relaxes Enforcement of HIPAA Noncompliance in Telehealth and Mobile Testing (Healthcare Law Blog Post)

April 20, 2020 | Insurance Claims in the time of COVID-19 (Insurance Law Blog Post)

April 17, 2020 | Odom to Speak on Covid-19 Business Impacts (Speaking Engagement)

April 10, 2020 | CLM Magazine Quotes Baker Sterchi Member Joshua Davis on COVID-19's Effect on Claims Handling (Firm News)

April 8, 2020 | Higgins to Serve as Panelist on Webinar with COVID-19 Business Disruptions Focus (Speaking Engagement)

April 1, 2020 | Small Business Covid-19 Primer (Employment & Labor Law Blog Post)

March 27, 2020 | Odom to Present to Illinois Businesses Regarding Legal Challenges Posed by Covid-19 (Speaking Engagement)

March 25, 2020 | UPDATE: Kansas Issues Updated Executive Order Prohibiting Foreclosures and Evictions (Kansas Law Blog Post)

March 20, 2020 | Kansas Temporarily Prohibits Foreclosures and Evictions (Kansas Law Blog Post)

News & Events

Baker Sterchi Welcomes Jessica Holliday in Belleville

01.20.21 | Her practice focuses on labor and employment, education, commercial litigation, and personal injury matters, and since March 2020, has expanded her practice to include the impact of COVID-19 on employers.

Greg Odom to Present to Members of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce on Illinois COVID-19 Executive Order No. 56

11.25.20 | On December 1, Baker Sterchi Member Greg Odom will present a virtual program on Illinois COVID-19 Executive Order No. 56 as it relates to potential legal consequences for restaurants.

Greg Odom to Present to Members of the Marion Chamber of Commerce on Executive Order Number 56

11.12.20 | On November 16, Baker Sterchi Member Greg Odom will present a virtual program on Restaurants, Executive Order Number 56, and potential legal consequences. Hosted by the Marion Chamber of Commerce Legislative Affairs Committee, the presentation will focus on...

Josh Davis to Present at PLRB Virtual Conference on COVID-19 Challenges

08.10.20 | Baker Sterchi Member Joshua Davis will co-present on the topic of "investigating claims and litigation during and following the COVID-19 pandemic" at an upcoming two-day virtual conference of the Property & Liability Resource Bureau (PLRB).

Odom to Speak on Covid-19 Business Impacts

04.17.20 | Baker Sterchi Member Greg Odom will be speaking on Covid-19 business impacts on Wednesday, April 22 at 9:30 AM CST. The webinar "Covid-19, the Law, and Your Business: A Legal Analysis of the Executive Orders Issued in Response to Covid-19"...

CLM Magazine Quotes Baker Sterchi Member Joshua Davis on COVID-19's Effect on Claims Handling

04.10.20 | Baker Sterchi Member Joshua Davis, St. Louis, was interviewed for an article in the April 2020 issue of CLM Magazine. The article "Virtual Adjusting Steps Into the Spotlight" offers insights and views from insurance and legal professionals regarding the effect of COVID-19 on claims handling.

Higgins to Serve as Panelist on Webinar with COVID-19 Business Disruptions Focus

04.08.20 | On Tuesday, April 14th at 12:00 PM CST, Baker Sterchi Member Angela Higgins will serve as a panelist on a webinar focused on business disruptions occurring as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Odom to Present to Illinois Businesses Regarding Legal Challenges Posed by Covid-19

03.27.20 | Baker Sterchi Member Greg Odom will be presenting to businesses in southern Illinois to assist them in navigating the legal challenges posed by Covid-19 on April 2 and 3.

Blog Posts

The Kansas City Area Saw Trials Plummet in 2020 Due to the Pandemic

02.08.21 | Little about 2020 was normal, and the number of trials in the Kansas City area was no exception. Data released by the Greater Kansas City Jury Verdict Service shows that the total number of jury trials in the Kansas City area was down over 65% in 2020 when compared to 2019.

Court Holds COVID-19 Government Closures Do Not Trigger Business Interruption Coverage

01.06.21 | A recent ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan has provided more guidance in predicting how COVID-19 related losses and litigation will be handled.

Single-Insurer MDLs Are Among Us - JPML Allows Centralization of COVID-19 Insurance Coverage Cases

12.30.20 | The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation initially ruled centralization was not appropriate for businesses seeking business interruption insurance coverage because of varying policy language. At that time, more than 450 cases were pending in Federal Courts—now there are over 700.

Parson's Pandemic Protections for Providers - Governor Parson Encourages Tort Liability Legislation During COVID-19 State of Emergency

12.21.20 | Governor Parson recently issued a written proclamation encouraging lawmakers to author new tort liability legislation insulating defendants from lawsuits arising out of the conditions in the state of emergency that have existed since March.

Parson's Pandemic Protections for Providers - Governor Parson Encourages Tort Liability Legislation During COVID-19 State of Emergency

12.21.20 | Governor Parson recently issued a written proclamation encouraging lawmakers to author new tort liability legislation insulating defendants from lawsuits arising out of the conditions in the state of emergency that have existed since March.

Federal Court Denies Motion to Dismiss Action for COVID-19 Related Losses under an All-Risk Policy

09.14.20 | U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri denies Defendant insurer's Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs' breach of contract claims based the insurer's denial of coverage for COVID-19 related business income losses.

One [Insurance] Policy Does Not Fit All - JPML Limits Centralization of COVID-19 Insurance Coverage Cases...At This Time

09.02.20 | On August 12, 2020, in a much-anticipated ruling, The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation rejected two petitions to centralize hundreds of cases filed by the policyholders of businesses suffering losses from the Pandemic; however, the panel did indicate that centralization may certainly be appropriate for cases against single insurer policies.

COVID-19 and Possible Changes to Workers' Compensation Laws in Illinois and Missouri

06.09.20 | As employees slowly begin to return to work in "the new normal" following mandatory stay-at-home orders across the country, employers in Illinois and Missouri are busy establishing policies in compliance with opening orders and guidelines. To mitigate the risk of potential workers' compensation claims, employers should be aware of possible changes to workers' compensation laws due to COVID-19 exposure in the workplace.

COVID-19 and Possible Changes to Workers' Compensation Laws in Illinois and Missouri

06.09.20 | As employees slowly begin to return to work in "the new normal" following mandatory stay-at-home orders across the country, employers in Illinois and Missouri are busy establishing policies in compliance with opening orders and guidelines. To mitigate the risk of potential workers' compensation claims, employers should be aware of possible changes to workers' compensation laws due to COVID-19 exposure in the workplace.

COVID-19 Healthcare Heroics May Ironically Lead to Future Confrontations - Causation Issues (Part 4)

05.07.20 | As the U.S. deals with COVID-19, there are already signs of concern for our healthcare providers being attacked in the future. In part four of our series of blog articles delving into potential dangers for healthcare providers related to the COVID-19 global pandemic, we consider causation issues for healthcare associated COVID-19 infections.

COVID-19 Healthcare Heroics May Ironically Lead to Future Confrontations - State Executive Orders (Part 3)

05.05.20 | As the U.S. deals with COVID-19, there are already signs of concern for our healthcare providers being attacked in the future. In part three of our series of blog articles delving into potential dangers for healthcare providers related to the COVID-19 global pandemic, we consider the American Medical Association's push for states to pursue liability protections for healthcare professionals.

COVID-19 Healthcare Heroics May Ironically Lead to Future Confrontations - Crisis Standard of Care? (Part 2)

05.01.20 | As the U.S. deals with COVID-19, there are already signs of concern for our healthcare providers being attacked in the future. In part two of our series of blog articles delving into potential dangers for healthcare providers related to the COVID-19 global pandemic, we consider the "standard of care" for healthcare providers.

Tips for Small Businesses Considering PPP Loan Relief

04.30.20 | An additional $310 billion in funding for the Paycheck Protection Program was approved by the United States Legislature, and applications resumed this Monday. But many small businesses still have questions about how to use the money, how to qualify for forgiveness, and whether the PPP Loan Program is right for them.

COVID-19 Healthcare Heroics May Ironically Lead to Future Confrontations - Introduction (Part 1)

04.29.20 | As the United States makes its way into the third month of dealing with COVID-19, there are already signs of concern for our healthcare providers being attacked in the future. In part one of a series of blog articles, we delve into potential dangers for healthcare providers and offer observations about possible defense strategies.

Long-Term Effects on Long-Term Care Facilities: Potential Increased Litigation Due to COVID-19

04.23.20 | Long-term care facilities face many challenges, and the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be yet another significant challenge for these facilities. What can long-term care facilities do to prepare for potential litigation or avoid it altogether?

HHS Relaxes Enforcement of HIPAA Noncompliance in Telehealth and Mobile Testing

04.22.20 | The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS") has announced a plan of enforcement discretion regarding telehealth communications and testing sites during the COVID-19 Nationwide Public Health Emergency. As a result, HHS will not impose penalties for covered healthcare providers' noncompliance with HIPAA in connection with the good faith provision of telehealth during the emergency.

Small Business Covid-19 Primer

04.01.20 | Covid-19 has caused stress for both business owners and employees. In the past days, two new benefits are in effect from April 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020: emergency paid sick leave (EPSL) and paid FMLA leave (FMLA+).

UPDATE: Kansas Issues Updated Executive Order Prohibiting Foreclosures and Evictions

03.25.20 | As we previously reported, last week, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued Executive Order 20-06 prohibiting evictions, foreclosures and any related judicial proceedings in the State of Kansas through May 1, 2020. Now, Governor Kelly has issued Executive Order 20-10, which amends and supersedes the previous order and provides additional clarification on certain points

Kansas Temporarily Prohibits Foreclosures and Evictions

03.20.20 | In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued Executive Order 20-06 on March 17, 2020, prohibiting evictions, foreclosures and any related judicial proceedings in the State of Kansas through May 1, 2020.