Coronavirus Threatens to Flood Courts With Contract Disputes

The coronavirus pandemic has left companies across an array of industries wondering what to do if they can’t perform the services they are contractually obligated to provide.

Health-care attorneys and others who specialize in contract resolution say they’ve been getting this question from clients a lot in the past week as federal and state leaders have taken increasingly restrictive measures to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.

But even contracts that planned for unforeseeable circumstances may not absolve a company from all liability. That’s why attorneys expect to see contract breaches become a major source of litigation when ...