Fall Sports

[Colonel Mustard]

I know on most issues which side of the aisle I fall on, but on this one I certainly have jumped ship. Everyone who sees sports as a right and scoffs at the hesitation of a school district who close schools or workouts has not worked in public education lately. I would ask those of you yelling loudest how it went the last time someone filed a frivolous lawsuit against you? What about the time where you had multiple lawsuits against you at the same time? If you don't live in that world, I am happy for you. However, if you aren't being sued (many times without cause) you have zero idea of what is happening to districts and individuals within the districts who are dealing with lawsuits. Frivolous or not, you must defend yourself and lawyers do not do it for free.

PIAA will tell you the high school principal is in charge of athletics and in many cases these individuals help organize and run the playoff systems for individual districts. If someone ALLEGES they got Covid at one of these events and sues everyone including the district chairperson, who pays for the legal defense? I know the answer and it isn't good news for the person organizing the event.

Years ago I had a friend say, "Know what you know, and know what you don't know." Putting this out to possibly give a bit of perspective.

Just curious, and not trying to start an argument, but can you sue someone or some organization for catching the flu? Or how about a more likely child-killer, meningitis? And how exactly do you prove where you contracted this virus? The bus, the bus-stop, giant eagle, your friends house? I can't help but think this liability issue is just more fear-mongering.

[konjo78]

You can sue anyone in america for pretty much anything in civil court. Doesnt mean youll win the civil case if you sue but doesnt stop from lawyer fees and that type of stress to take place to those getting sued.

[knowitall]

Would school districts be legally liable for athletes contracting covid-19? Probably not.

https://tribhssn.triblive.com/would-sch ... -covid-19/

[El-Moldo]

If you have no trees in your yard, but your neighbor does, and every fall his leaves end up in your yard, this is considered an act of God and you cannot sue him because of it. Just getting the flu from someone would also be considered an act of God. Now if someone with the flu working at McDonalds intentionally spits in you Big Mac, that would be different.

[konjo78]

Courts will still accept both lawsuits against and again even if the person losing the case in court, which they would, that doesnt stop the legal fees the accussed has to pay for a lawyer to defend them in court.

[konjo78]

https://www.beliveaulaw.net/2018/07/can ... wed-90-00/

The first sentence this law firm gives to answer a question about if you can sue is this, "You can sue anyone for anything, but winning is a whole different matter."

[El-Moldo]

There are such a thing as frivolous lawsuits, which can be thrown out before they are started. Lawyers can be sanctioned and plaintiffs fined for bringing them up. Our courts are TOO busy to be messing around with "I got the flu from riding in a elevator with a co-worker" kind of stuff.

[Crimson's Ghost]

So you can't just sue a school district if your child tests positive for COVID, but you could sue the school if your child tests positive for COVID and it was found out that the school or someone in the school wasn't following proper protocol is how I would look into it from a liability standpoint.

[konjo78]

There are such a thing as frivolous lawsuits, which can be thrown out before they are started. Lawyers can be sanctioned and plaintiffs fined for bringing them up. Our courts are TOO busy to be messing around with "I got the flu from riding in a elevator with a co-worker" kind of stuff.

I would love to agree with you here but I think we can both agree in these past 4 years there are far too many judges you can take a case like this to that feel they can make a political statement in taking it on. Atleast thats how ive seen of many laws during trumps time as president

[Bedrock]

Gentlemen,

I will assure you there is a huge difference between spouting off "the courts are TOO busy" on a message board and living the situation where you are given the service of process. It would be inappropriate so I won't, but I could share multiple ridiculous accounts. Again if you don't know, you don't know.