SAN FRANCISCO: A federal judge is weighing what she called a first-of-its-kind lawsuit that would hold an employer responsible for a worker’s spouse getting sick with Covid-19.
“This is the first time someone is making the claim that if you have Covid and you live with someone who has a job, you can sue the employer for potentially having given you Covid,” said Bill Bogdan, a lawyer for the company. It was unclear if Chesney might go further and decide whether an employer’s duty to provide a safe workspace for employees — which includes protecting workers from exposure to contagious illnesses — extends to other family members.
Mark Venardi, a lawyer for the couple, drew an analogy to a worker who inadvertently brings home asbestos fibres from his workplace that make his wife ill — a situation in which California law holds the employer responsible.