PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE PASSES TORT REFORM LAW

On Monday, June 27, 2011, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a bill that will limit the liability of defendants in some civil court cases for negligence.  The bill, already passed by the Senate, will go to Governor Tom Corbett for approval.

Pennsylvania law currently holds that in cases involving more than one defendant, all guilty defendants can be potentially liable for 100% of damages regardless of their respective percentage of fault.  This means that a defendant could be held responsible for the entire damage award if one of his co-defendants was insolvent or otherwise could not pay for their respective negligence.

If the new bill is signed into law, a defendant that is found to be less than 60% at fault is now only responsible for their respective share of the damage award.