Manufacturer Says Contract’s ‘Force Majeure’ Provision Does Not Apply to Pandemics

LOS ANGELES — A Houston metal manufacturer has sued a “green technology” firm in California federal court, asserting that the firm cannot rely upon a “force majeure” provision to avoid paying more than $4 million in sums owed under a manufacturing contract.

In a Jan. 12 complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, G&H Diversified Manufacturing LP says the manufacturing contract’s “force majeure” clause does not address epidemics or pandemics, only “acts of God, acts of war, riot, fire, explosion, flood or sabotage.”

Regreen’s main product is a “total waste system” that turns …