Coronavirus: Common Legal Issues

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of life in the U.S. and across the world. Here, we've listed legal issues that have suddenly become pressing for many of our readers. You can also find a wealth of legal information relating to the crisis, updated regularly, on Nolo's coronavirus home page.

Bankruptcy

• Can I File for Bankruptcy if I Am Unemployed?
  As more businesses close due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many unemployed people will turn to bankruptcy.
• Chapter 13 Hardship Discharge
  If you run into permanent financial trouble while in Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you may be able to get your debts discharged early.
• Converting a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Case to Chapter 7
  If you can no longer afford to be in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you may be able to convert your case to Chapter 7.
• Bankruptcy for Small Business Owners: An Overview
  Many small business owners are having to shut down in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Find out if bankruptcy may help.
• Can You Discharge an SBA Business Loan in Bankruptcy?
  If your small business has to shut down, any SBA loans can likely be discharged.
• How to Protect Your Home in Bankruptcy
  Most people will be able to keep their home in bankruptcy. Here's how it works in both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
• How to Lower Your Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Plan Payments
  If the coronavirus pandemic affects your income, you may be able to get temporary or permanent changes to your Chapter 13 bankruptcy plan.

Foreclosure

• What Happens If You Stop Making Your Mortgage Payments
  As the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic plays out, many people will be struggling to keep up with monthly bills. Here's an overview of the order of events when you stop making mortgage payments.
• How to Get Your Mortgage Loan Modified
  If you have lost income due to the coronavirus, you may be able to get a mortgage modification.
• Writing a Hardship Letter
  The Covid-19 pandemic has created hardships for most of the world. Here's how to write a hardship letter to your lender as part of a foreclosure defense.
• Can a Reverse Mortgage Be Foreclosed On?
  Due to the coronavirus outbreak, HUD announced it will halt the initiation and completion of reverse-mortgage foreclosures for 60 days for single-family homeowners with FHA-insured mortgages.
• Overview of the Commercial Foreclosure Process
  Commercial property owners are facing serious financial issues as businesses are ordered to close. Here's what you can expect to face in a commercial foreclosure.

Immigration Issues

• What Happens If an H-1B Holder Loses Their Job?
  Possible consequences of an H-1B worker losing a job, and how an H-1B worker may maintain lawful status even after the termination of employment.
• What If I Am Laid Off Before I Get My Green Card?
  The economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic will certainly lead to lay-offs. Here's how that may impact employment-based green card applicants.
• What If You Lose Your Job While Your Green Card Is Processing?
  Although losing your job can have serious consequences for your immigration status, U.S. law, and in particular AC21, provides several avenues for maintaining your status and continuing with your green card processing.
• What If Your Visa Expires While Waiting for Another One?
  It might be possible to remain in the U.S. while awaiting an answer from USCIS.
• Work Visas & Green Card Options for Nurses
  Nurses are needed on the front lines of the fight against Covid-19. The U.S. government offers foreign nurses a few special procedures for acquiring a visa to work in the United States, as well as get a green card.
• Proxy Marriage Validity Under U.S. Immigration Law
  Even if a proxy marriage is considered legally valid in the place where you were married, U.S. immigration law will not recognize it unless it was later consummated.

Medical Law

• Can an Uninsured Patient Be Denied Emergency Treatment?
  Almost every hospital in the U.S. is required by law to provide necessary emergency medical treatment to anyone - with or without insurance coverage.
• Medical Abandonment
  What responsibilities does a doctor have to continue treating a patient, and what happens when he or she fails to do so?

Social Security Disability

• How to Get Disability Benefits If Self-Employed
  Self-employed people who pay taxes are just as eligible for SSDI benefits as if they were employed by another person or company.
• Calculating Your Social Security Disability Payment
  Your disability payment is based on your average lifetime earnings before you became disabled. The severity of disability does not factor in, although payments from other sources can.

Wills and Trusts: Estate Planning

• Creating Your Estate Plan Yourself
  Most people can make basic estate planning documents without a lawyer. Now that many people are forced to remain at home to combat the spread of the virus, it may be a good time to get started.
• Are Handwritten or "Holographic" Wills Valid?
  A holographic or handwritten will can be a binding legal document, in some states and in some circumstances.
• The Witness Requirement to Execute a Will
  As we are forced to shelter in place and maintain a social distance, witnesses may be hard to find. However, a will typically must be properly witnessed to be valid.