On Tuesday, February 12, the Senate Government Reform Committee, chaired by Sen. Ed Emery, approved three measures that will have a big impact on the tort environment in Missouri, especially for manufacturers.
The three measures were:
SB 30 (Hegeman) – requiring seat belt use information to be provided when a plaintiff alleges safety devices in a vehicle failed to adequately protect them;
SB 65 (White) – punitive damages reform to ensure such damages are awarded when the defendant has acted in an egregious manner but not routinely alleged as a coercion to settle cases; and,
SB 100 (Riddle) – a statute of repose at 15 years, limiting the time within which lawsuits may be brought alleging manufacturing defects.
For more information on these bills, see our original story here.