Weekly IP Buzz for the Week Ending March 20, 2020

March 23, 2020 Darin M. Klemchuk

In this week's post, we see how the current global pandemic of coronavirus has raised new legal issues about an employee’s right to privacy regarding health issues in the workplace. As employers attempt to stem the spread of the disease, new questions emerge regarding what questions employers may ask their employees.

Also, Larry E. Klayman and Freedom Watch seek to hold Chinese liable for $20T over Coronavirus pandemic.

Employee Privacy Concerns Arise As Employers Implement Coronavirus Preventive Measures

As countries experience the spread of coronavirus across their respective countries, new employee privacy concerns have arisen regarding the myriad questions that employers have begun to ask employees as they attempt to stem the spread of the new virus.

The rapid spread of coronavirus has led to many companies and employers instituting new policies and standards in the workplace as an attempt to cull the virus’s reach. Because the virus is able to survive outside the body for approximately three days, many employers have asked their employees to work remotely.

But for occupations that require workers to be present, many employers have attempted to screen employees as they arrive in order to determine whether or not it is safe for the employee to proceed into the building. For example, many companies have opted to have employees’ temperatures taken as they enter into the building because one of the most common symptoms of the coronavirus is having a high temperature.

$20 Trillion Coronavirus Lawsuit?

On March 17, 2020, Plaintiffs Buzz Photo, Freedom Watch, Inc., Larry Klayman, and putative plaintiffs as members of the class and subclasses and all persons and entities similarly situated filed suit against The People’s Public of China, The People’s Liberation Army, The Wuhan Institute of Virology, and Shi Zhengli.

Like the coronavirus pandemic, it is difficult to predict where this lawsuit will end up. However, a lawsuit seeking $20 Trillion in damages against China will definitely raise eyebrows.