Will COVID-19 Outbreak Constitute Force Majeure under U. S. Law?
Chinese manufacturers’ difficulty fulfilling contracts due to novel coronavirus crisis has led a number of industries to consider invoking a force majeure clause in their trade contracts. The South China Morning Post wrote on February 3, 2020 that the Chinese government has come to the rescue of a car parts supplier facing potential legal action for failing to fulfil an overseas order because of the novel coronavirus crisis.[1] The article quotes the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade as stating “ the Zhejiang manufacturer cannot readily produce legal proof of the reason it could not deliver on the contract, the company would not only suffer a 2.4 million yuan loss directly from this contract, it could face a potential claim of about 30 million yuan from its trading counterparty due to the production suspension that the company would have caused.” And this difficulty with supply, and even decreased demand in China, has affected even the world’s largest companies.[2]
由于新冠状病毒危机影响，中国制造业将面临合同执行的困难，这导致一部分企业考虑在交易中引用不可抗力条款。根据中国华南早报2020年2月3日的报道，中国政府已经着手帮助一家汽车配件公司。这家公司因受新冠病毒影响，可能面临合同难以执行的潜在法律问题。报道引用中国国际贸易促进委员会的陈述：如果这家浙江企业不能提供法律证据，来证明其无法执行合同的理由，企业因停产，不仅将遭受240万元人民币的损失，还将面临来自合同另一方约3000万人民币的潜在索赔。即使在中国的需求有所减少、供应方面困难，也已经影响了若干世界最大的企业。Although it is a positive sign for Chinese manufacturers that the government is willing to step in to assist in claiming force majeure, the requirements for invoking a force majeure clause in a contract will depend on the specific language of the contract in question. Generally, where force majeure clauses are included in contracts, that clause will specify:尽管有了积极信号，中国企业在政府的协助下，可能会援引不可抗力，但启动合同中不可抗力条款的条件，将取决于涉案合同中具体的表述。概括来讲，合同中的不可抗力条款，一般须明确如下内容：
(a) the events which enable either party to declare force majeure;(b) how a party should notify its counterparty about the occurrence of a force majeure event; and(c) the consequences which flow from declaring force majeure.Insofar as the events justifying force majeure are concerned, it is common that the occurrence of force majeure is in itself disputed among affected parties. There are two broad approaches typically seen in contracts. The clause might include a list of specific events which entitle a party to declare force majeure. Alternatively, or in addition to a list, the clause might provide that a force majeure event includes anything that is beyond the parties' control.在事件构成不可抗力的合理性方面，合同双方对不可抗力的发生经常存在争议。合同中一般有两种主要方式。条款中列举具体事件，据此，合同当事人可以主张不可抗力，或者，除了列举具体事件以外，条款还约定不可抗力包括超出合同当事人控制的任何情况。Irrespective of the approach taken, the clause will generally also specify the extent to which the event must have impacted performance in order to qualify as a force majeure event. Various approaches are possible in this regard: at one end of the spectrum, it would be necessary to show that has "prevented" performance entirely and, at the other end of the spectrum, it may only be necessary to show that the event as "hindered" or "delayed" performance. 无论哪一种方式，条款一般需明确该事件已经影响了合同的履行，从而主张不可抗力。不同的方式包括：一方面，有必要证明事件已经全面阻止了合同的履行；另一方面，仅有必要证明合同执行受到阻碍或延迟。Further, much of the defense to performance will turn on the foreseeability of the event. In TEC Olmos, LLC & Terrace Energy Corporation F/K/A Terrace Resources, Inc. v. ConocoPhillips Company, No.01-16-00579-CV, slip op. (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] May 31, 2018), the court construed common law principles to interpret a force majeure provision, finding that the party seeking to excuse its nonperformance could not rely on such provision because the purported force majeure event was foreseeable, even though unforeseeability was not an express requirement in the force majeure provision. The clause in this case stated:并且，合同履行的抗辩也将依靠对事件的预见性。在TECOlmos, LLC & Terrace Energy Corporation F/K/A Terrace Resources, Inc. v.ConocoPhillips Company, No. 01-16-00579-CV, slip op. (Tex. App.—Houston [1stDist.] May 31, 2018)案件中，法院根据普通法的原则来推论和解释不可抗力条款，合同当事人在试图主张不可抗力的理由时，不能依据可以预见的事由，来声称不可抗力。尽管这种非预见性没有在合同条款里明确表述。在该案中，条款表述如下：FORCE MAJEURE: Should either Party be prevented or hindered from complying with any obligation created under this Agreement, other than the obligation to pay money, by reason of fire, flood, storm, act of God, governmental authority, labor disputes, war or any other cause not enumerated herein but which is beyond the reasonable control of the Party whose performance is affected, then the performance of any such obligation is suspended during the period of, and only to the extent of, such prevention or hindrance, provided the affected Party exercises all reasonable diligence to remove the cause of force majeure.不可抗力条款：除了付款义务外，当事人因火灾、水灾、风暴、天灾、政府行为、劳动纠纷、战争或其他未列举的但超出受影响合同方合理控制的原因，导致合同履行受到阻碍，则任何此种义务在阻碍理由存在期间和范围内可以中止履行。受影响的当事人应当尽所有合理的努力，来消除不可抗力的原因。
The court ruled that because changes in oil prices are foreseeable, the loss of financing as a result of these changes could not constitute force majeure.在该案中，法院认为，油价的变化是可以预见的，这种变化带来的财务损失不能构成不可抗力。Moreover, companies should not attempt to use force majeure to excuse failure to perform under a contract where that failure was not caused by the force majeure event. The party claiming force majeure bears the burden of proving that the failure in performance resulted from the unforeseeable event. 而且，公司不应以不可抗力为由来合理化非不可抗力而引起的合同履行瑕疵，主张不可抗力的当事人应举证合同的不履行是由于不可预见的事件造成的。It remains to be seen whether force majeure claims related to the novel coronavirus in an effort to avoid liability will stand up as a defense to non-performance. The effects of the novel coronavirus on business operations is well-documented, and the Chinese Government’s position that the spread and effect of the virus was unforeseeable will assist in making any such claims. 与新冠病毒有关的不可抗力主张，能否作为对合同不履行的抗辩理由，从而来避免相应的责任，还有待观察。企业对新冠病毒的在其运营中影响的详细文件记录、中国政府所持病毒的传播和影响是不可预见的立场，将有助于主张不可抗力。Zhihe Partners and Lewis Brisbois are experienced in international trade dispute resolution, and are well positioned to aid in an evaluation and assertion of this defense.上海至合律师事务所和美国Lewis Brisbois律师事务所在国际贸易争议解决方面具有丰富的经验。我们愿意协助公司进行评估，为受影响公司提供解决方案。
[1]https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3048767/peugeot-parts-supplier-risk-missing-overseas-orders-amid
[2]https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/17/technology/apple-coronavirus-economy.html
Jane Shen lawyer, the founding partner of Zhihe Partners, who has worked for over ten years in legal practice, obtained a bachelor degree from East China University of Political Science and Law and LLM of International Business Law from National University of Singapore. She has been engaging in FDI, M&A, international trade and foreign-related dispute resolution. She is the member of Foreign Affairs Committee of Shanghai Lawyers Association, deputy director of the Belt and Road Initiative Professional Research Committee of Shanghai Lawyers Association, and selected into the national talent pool of thousands of foreign-related lawyers of the Ministry of Justice.
沈静律师，上海至合律师事务所创始合伙人，先后获得华东政法大学学士和新加坡国立大学国际商法法学硕士学位，执业超过十年，长期从事外商投资、外资并购、国际贸易及涉外争议解决。上海市律师协会外事委员会委员、上海市律师协会一带一路专业研究委员会副主任、入选司法部全国千名涉外律师人才库。
Bingtao Li lawyer is the head of American offices of Zhihe Partners. He graduated from Renmin University of China and Shanghai university respectively. Later, he majored in criminal justice at the University of Maryland and completed leadership and management course at Yale University. He engaged in foreign investment, overseas operation of enterprises, management of foreign-funded enterprises and intellectual property protection for a long time. Previous professional experience includes working in the American company as regional general counsel for around 15 years. He also served in a reputable international intellectual property law firm and performed the duty in Police Criminal investigation system (Public Security Bureau) around six years.
李炳涛律师，上海至合律师事务所美国办公室负责人。李律师先后毕业于中国人民大学和上海大学，后于美国马里兰大学主修刑事司法专业、完成耶鲁大学的商业领导力商业管理课程。其长期从事外商投资、企业海外运营、外资公司管理和知识产权保护工作。既往的职业经历包括在美国公司担任了约15年的大中华区法律总监,还曾就职于一家知名的国际知识产权律师事务所工作、在公安刑事侦查系统履职6年。
Tripp Lake lawyer is a partner in the Denver and San Francisco offices of Lewis Brisbois , the co-chair of Intellectual Property & Technology Practice and a member of the Crisis Management Practice. He is an experienced litigation attorney focusing his practice in the areas of intellectual property, commercial litigation and urgent matters, including matters relating to breaches of licensing agreements or theft of IP and trade secrets. He has tried more than 65 jury trials, including more than 60 as lead counsel, and has also represented clients in dozens of appeals in both federal and state courts. He has great proficiency in communicating complex scientific and legal principles into digestible arguments for juries.
Tripp Lake律师是美国Lewis Brisbois律所丹佛和旧金山办公室的合伙人、知识产权与技术实务的联合主席和危机管理实务成员。其是一名经验丰富的诉讼律师，主要业务领域为知识产权、商事诉讼和紧急事务，包括违反专利许可使用协议、窃取知识产权和商业秘密相关事务。其已参与65起陪审团审判案件（其中60多案中作为首席律师），还代理客户参与几十起联邦和州法院上诉案件。其精通于将复杂的科学和法律原理转化为易于陪审团理解的论据。
主要负责人
沈静
擅长涉外法律事务及争议解决、长期从事外商投资、外资并购、国际贸易、公司治理、涉外民商事案件的处理。沈静律师执业超过十年，担任国内外多家知名企业的常年法律顾问，审核众多标的额过亿、涉外大宗商品交易合同，提供日常合规和风险控制法律服务并解决国际贸易争议。
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