Coronavirus: Beware opportunistic claims of Force Majeure

In addition to its toll on human lives, the outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus is causing increasingly significant economic disruption across the world. As a result of this, a number of companies are considering their legal options, and we are advising on an increasing number of asserted force majeure claims.

Whilst there are likely to be justifiable force majeure claims resulting from COVID-19, it is also the case that opportunistic parties may seek to bring unwarranted claims in an attempt to avoid adverse consequences for their own breaches of contract or to walk away from onerous contracts which they no longer wish to perform.