HB 1173 -- Product Liability Claims

Sponsor:  Riddle

This bill changes the laws regarding product liability claims.
In its main provisions, the bill:

(1)  Establishes a statute of limitation on a claim for the
recovery of damages arising out of any alleged defect or any
failure of a product of six years from the date of the initial
purchase or 10 years after the product was manufactured,
whichever comes first;

(2)  Creates a complete defense to a claim if the defendant can
prove that the plaintiff was under the influence of alcohol or
any unlawful drug at the time of injury and the condition of the
plaintiff was more than 50% responsible for the injury;

(3)  Prohibits the admission of evidence of any advancements or
changes in technical or other knowledge or techniques in design,
manufacture, testing, or production of the product in issue from
the time it was designed, formulated, tested, manufactured, or
sold; and

(4)  Establishes a complete defense against a claim if the
product was either substantially altered or modified by a party
other than the manufacturer or seller and the alteration or
modification was the proximate cause of the injury.

Missouri House of Representatives
95th General Assembly, 1st Regular Session
Last Updated November 17, 2009 at 9:26 am