In the recent case of Travelport Ltd v Wex Inc [2020] EWHC 2670 (Comm) (the “Travelport Case”), the High Courts of England considered the construction of a material adverse effect clause (“MAE Clause”) in which a party sought to invoke the provision as a result of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the prevalence and importance of MAE Clauses in many commercial contracts such as facility agreements and acquisition agreements, we explore in this article the issues that the UK Courts considered when determining the construction of this MAE Clause in the context of a global pandemic. MAE Clauses An MAE Clause aims to give parties to a contract a way out of their contractual obligations if an event that causes a material adverse change or effect occurs. A key part to a MAE Clause is the definition of what constitutes a material adverse change, as this will be the trigger in which a party then becomes entitled to exercise its rights under it.