Jan 12 (Reuters) – As COVID-19 situations surge in the United States, firms say they panic a California court ruling has greater the probability that companies will be sued for bacterial infections, even by men and women who are not workforce or clients. The Dec. 21 ruling permitted a wrongful death lawsuit to proceed against See’s Candies Inc, owned by Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N), by the relatives of Arturo Ek of Los Angeles who died in April 2020 at 72 from COVID-19. See’s used his spouse, Matilde Ek, who mentioned she was contaminated by the coronavirus although doing work inches apart from unwell coworkers, and then her husband caught it from…