united-states president executive pandemic
Can the Defense Production Act grant immunity to civil liability?
<p>Trump has said that he's going to give liability protections to meat processing plants in case employees catch COVID-19 at work.  The executive order itself <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-delegating-authority-dpa-respect-food-supply-chain-resources-national-emergency-caused-outbreak-covid-19/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">is here</a>.  Cited in the order is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_Production_Act_of_1950" rel="nofollow noreferrer">the Defense Production Act of 1950</a>.</p>

<p>Does that Act grant the President the authority to give private companies protection from civil liability cases?  (This is assuming, for the sake of the argument, that the Defense Production Act applies to a pandemic)</p>

<p><a href="https://govtrackus.s3.amazonaws.com/legislink/pdf/stat/64/STATUTE-64-Pg798b.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Sec. 707 of that law</a> addresses the matter of liability:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>No person shall be held liable for damages or penalties for any act
  or failure to act resulting directly or indirectly from his compliance
  with a rule, regulation, or order issued pursuant to this Act,
  notwithstanding that any such rule, regulation, or order shall
  thereafter be declared by judicial or other competent authority to be
  invalid.</p>
</blockquote>
