Explore the evolution of force majeure clauses in commercial leases postCOVID19, with a focus on the Arizona real estate market. Force majeure clauses allow a party to leave a contract temporarily or permanently, in whole or in part, for catastrophes that were not foreseeable."Most leases in the history of real estate say that if there's a force majeure event, the tenant still has to keep paying rent. Most often in residential real estate transactions, this clause is invoked to delay – not cancel – the closing process. Although included in many contracts, force majeure clauses are addressed in only a few written judicial opinions in Maryland. What is a Force Majeure Clause? Thus, the applicability of a force majeure clause under the COVID19 circumstances will depend solely on the language of any given contractual. ¶18 Tenant has not shown that the force majeure provision in the Marana lease allowed it to suspend payments.