A bill signed into law by Governor Kim Reynolds gives Iowa businesses and health care providers new liability protections from COVID-related lawsuits.
G-O-P Senator Zach Whiting from Spirit Lake said it sends an important message that “If you did your best and took substantial steps to comply with ever-changing government guidelines, then you don’t have to worry about the threat of litigation clouding up your skies.”
Democrats opposed the Republican bill.
Senator Nate Boulton of Des Moines said it benefit businesses that failed to adequately protect their workers and “to the Iowans who get infected Boulton says…we are going to lessen your rights.”
People filing civil lawsuits will have to prove a business, church, or other organization was malicious or showed “reckless disregard” to the risk of COVID-19.
It means most businesses, including nursing homes, cannot be sued for damages in civil court for COVID-19 deaths.
