The Ohio Alliance for Civil Justice (OACJ) scored an important victory on June 11 by securing final passage of Senate Bill 80 (Tort Reform). The Bill will:
§ Set a cap of $100,000 for punitive damage awards
§ End the practice of subjecting manufacturers to a punitive damage award for every article or part produced, permitting instead only a single punitive damage award for a liable course of conduct.
§ Set a cap on non-economic ("pain and suffering") damage awards
§ Permit juries to be informed of plaintiffs' insurance and compensation benefits when setting damage awards
§ Establish a time limit for filing product liability lawsuits to ten years after the date of manufacture
§ Empower judges to end frivolous legal conduct
§ Make other reforms in response to the crushing wave of asbestos related claims now threatening Ohio manufacturers
The AMC/NOMA strongly supports SB 80.