MS: Ten Years of Tort Reform

The Clarion-Ledger reviews the 2004 tort reform package passed in Mississippi:

• Caps on damages: The law limited noneconomic, or pain-and-suffering damages to $500,000 on medical liability cases and $1 million in other civil cases. It also reduced caps on punitive damages for defendants, based on their net worth.

• Joint and several liability: The law did away with joint and several liability, limiting damages defendants could face to the fraction for which they were at fault.

• Venue: Created stricter rules for establishing venue, or where a case can be brought and tried. For instance, doctors can only be sued in their home county.

• Product and premise liability: Added protection to “innocent sellers” of products and protects property owners from liability.

--CJR