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tort reform

Cover of 2022-23 Judicial Hellholes list
Dec 14, 2022

‘Hellholes’ list knocks St. Louis – both city and county

Normally, it’s large plaintiffs’ verdicts that put St. Louis in the crosshairs of the American Tort Reform Association. This year, the group found fault with a series of defense wins — including those not tried in the city of St. Louis at all.

Missouri State Capitol
May 13, 2022

Tort reform takes a year off in 2022 session

It’s a stark contrast to previous sessions, where the Republican-led legislature has sent a continuous stream of tort bills to a Republican governor’s desk.

Herman Morse
May 1, 2020

Some tort measures remain alive in Missouri Legislature

Several proposed changes to Missouri tort laws remain in play in the final weeks of the truncated 2020 session.

Missouri state capitol
Mar 16, 2020

Missouri House approves statute of repose bill

The bill, which needs another vote before it moves to the Senate, would set a statute of repose in products-liability cases.

Mar 11, 2020

Negligence: Medical Malpractice-Expert Witness-Tort Reform

Where a plaintiff challenged a judgment following a jury verdict for the defendant doctor in her medical malpractice case, the trial court did not err in admitting medical expert testimony that met sufficient reliability criteria, and the judgment is affirmed in part because the plaintiff did not meet her burden to show that the verdict […]

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District
Mar 11, 2020

Expert’s past tort advocacy merits new medical malpractice trial

An appeals court ordered a new trial, saying the plaintiff should have been allowed to ask a defense expert about his advocacy for tort reform.

Mike Parson
Jan 20, 2020

Parson calls for tort reform discussion, doesn’t elaborate

Gov. Mike Parson devoted just a single line in his State of the State address to changing Missouri’s tort laws. “We must have a real discussion about tort reform in the legislature,” he said in his Jan. 15 speech to a joint session of the House and Senate. The line near the end of the […]

Missouri State Capitol
Jan 10, 2020

Lawmakers’ 2020 tort priorities draw on past sessions’ work

As lawmakers returned to Jefferson City on Jan. 8, the Republican majority appeared ready to pick up where last year’s efforts to change the state’s tort laws left off. Among the bills expected to get a major push this year is an overhaul of the rules for awarding punitive damages. “Punitives seems to be at […]

May 6, 2019

Venue bill clears legislature

Fulfilling one of Republican lawmakers’ major goals for tort law this year, the Missouri House gave final approval to a bill that overhauls the state’s venue and joinder laws. The bill passed by a 100-46 vote on May 1 and now heads to Gov. Mike Parson’s desk for his signature. The Missouri Senate had approved […]

Feb 27, 2019

Senate revises venue bill in shadow of court ruling

The Missouri Senate has given first-round approval to a bill that would alter Missouri’s venue and joinder laws — in a way far different from what lawmakers had envisioned just two weeks ago.

Feb 25, 2019

Mass torts face big shift in law

State lawmakers have been pushing for three years to overhaul Missouri’s venue and joinder laws, citing the large number of mass torts in St. Louis featuring mostly out-of-state plaintiffs suing out-of-state companies. As one lawyer put it, St. Louis had become “America’s courtroom.”

Jan 11, 2019

Venue bill named No. 1 tort priority for Senate GOP

Lawmakers returned to Jefferson City on Jan. 9 for the 100th session of the Missouri General Assembly. It promises to be a very different session than last year’s. Most notably, lawmakers are working with a new governor, Mike Parson, who succeeded former Gov. Eric Greitens last year after a series of scandals led Greitens to resign on June 1.

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