Over 2,500 COVID-19-related employment lawsuits were filed in
the United States in 2020. Ogletree Deakins' Interactive COVID-19 Litigation Tracker
highlights the industries impacted, locations, and types of claims
in these matters.
The healthcare industry is outpacing other industries by almost
double for the most COVID-19-related employment litigation thus
far. The hospitality, manufacturing, and retail industries have
also been heavily impacted. These trends are not surprising, given
that it is often difficult for employees in these frontline
industries to socially distance themselves from other employees
and/or the public.
California leads the way with nearly 300 COVID-19-related
employment lawsuits, followed by New Jersey (which is approaching
200 lawsuits), and Florida and New York, with each state breaking
the 100-lawsuit mark. These states, along with Illinois, are seeing
the most class action litigation, primarily in the wage and hour
context.
