SB1,14,2418 814.29 (3) (a) A request for leave to commence or defend an action, proceeding,
19writ of error or appeal without being required to pay fees or costs or to give security
20for costs constitutes consent of the affiant and counsel for the affiant that if the
21judgment is in favor of the affiant the court may order the opposing party to first pay
22the amount of unpaid fees and costs, including attorney fees under ss. 802.05 and,
23804.12 (1) (c), and 895.044 and under 42 USC 1988 and to pay the balance to the
24plaintiff.
SB1, s. 23 25Section 23. 893.555 of the statutes is created to read:
SB1,15,2
1893.555 Limitation of damages; long-term care providers. (1) In this
2section:
SB1,15,33 (a) "Long-term care provider" means any of the following:
SB1,15,44 1. An adult family home, as defined in s. 50.01 (1).
SB1,15,55 2. A residential care apartment complex, as defined in s. 50.01 (1d).
SB1,15,66 3. A community-based residential facility, as defined in s. 50.01 (1g).
SB1,15,77 4. A home health agency, as defined in s. 50.01 (1r).
SB1,15,88 5. A nursing home, as defined in s. 50.01 (3).
SB1,15,99 6. A hospice, as defined in s. 50.90 (1).
SB1,15,1010 (b) "Noneconomic damages" has the meaning given in s. 893.55 (4) (a).
SB1,15,14 11(2) Except as provided in sub. (3), an action to recover damages for injury
12arising from any treatment or operation performed by, or from any omission by, a
13long-term care provider, regardless of the theory on which the action is based, shall
14be commenced within the later of:
SB1,15,15 15(a) Three years from the date of the injury .
SB1,15,1916 (b) One year from the date the injury was discovered or, in the exercise of
17reasonable diligence should have been discovered, except that an action may not be
18commenced under this paragraph more than 5 years from the date of the act or
19omission.
SB1,15,24 20(3) If a long-term care provider conceals from a patient a prior act or omission
21of the provider that has resulted in injury to the patient, an action shall be
22commenced within one year from the date the patient discovers the concealment or,
23in the exercise of reasonable diligence, should have discovered the concealment or
24within the time limitation provided by sub. (2), whichever is later.
SB1,16,9
1(4) The total noneconomic damages recoverable for bodily injury arising from
2care or treatment performed, or from any omission, by a long-term care provider,
3including any action or proceeding based on contribution or indemnification and any
4action for a claim by a person other than the injured person for noneconomic damages
5recoverable for bodily injury, may not exceed the limit under s. 893.55 (4) (d) for each
6occurrence on or after the effective date of this subsection .... [LRB inserts date], from
7all long-term care providers and all employees of long-term care providers acting
8within the scope of their employment and providing long-term care services who are
9found negligent.
SB1,16,18 10(5) A court in an action tried without a jury shall make a finding as to
11noneconomic damages without regard to the limit under s. 893.55 (4) (d). If
12noneconomic damages in excess of the limit are found, the court shall make any
13reduction required under s. 895.045 and shall award as noneconomic damages the
14lesser of the reduced amount or the limit. If an action is before a jury, the jury shall
15make a finding as to noneconomic damages without regard to the limit under s.
16893.55 (4) (d). If the jury finds that noneconomic damages exceed the limit, the jury
17shall make any reduction required under s. 895.045 and the court shall award as
18noneconomic damages the lesser of the reduced amount or the limit.
SB1,16,25 19(6) Notwithstanding the limits on noneconomic damages under this section,
20damages recoverable against a long-term care provider, and an employee of a
21long-term care provider acting within the scope of his or her employment and
22providing long-term care services, for wrongful death are subject to the limit under
23s. 895.04 (4). If damages in excess of the limit under s. 895.04 (4) are found, the court
24shall make any reduction required under s. 895.045 and shall award the lesser of the
25reduced amount or the limit under s. 895.04 (4).
SB1,17,4
1(7) Damages recoverable under this section against a long-term care provider,
2and an employee of a long-term care provider acting within the scope of his or her
3employment and providing long-term care services, are subject to the provisions of
4s. 895.045.
SB1,17,9 5(8) Evidence of any compensation for bodily injury received from sources other
6than the defendant to compensate the claimant for the injury is admissible in an
7action to recover damages for negligence by a long-term care provider. This section
8does not limit the substantive or procedural rights of persons who have claims based
9upon subrogation.
SB1, s. 24 10Section 24. 895.043 (3) of the statutes is renumbered 895.043 (3) (intro.) and
11amended to read:
SB1,17,1512 895.043 (3) Standard of conduct. (intro.) The plaintiff may receive punitive
13damages if evidence is submitted showing that the defendant acted maliciously
14toward the plaintiff or in an intentional disregard of the rights of the plaintiff.
did
15any of the following:
SB1, s. 25 16Section 25. 895.043 (3) (a) of the statutes is created to read:
SB1,17,1817 895.043 (3) (a) Acted with the intent to cause injury to a particular person or
18persons.
SB1, s. 26 19Section 26. 895.043 (3) (b) of the statutes is created to read:
SB1,17,2120 895.043 (3) (b) Knew that the defendant's action that resulted in injury to one
21or more persons was practically certain to result in injury to one or more persons.
SB1, s. 27 22Section 27. 895.043 (6) of the statutes is created to read:
SB1,18,323 895.043 (6) Unavailable defense. A voluntarily produced intoxicated or
24drugged condition is not a defense to liability for punitive damages if, had the actor
25not been in that intoxicated or drugged condition, he or she would have known that

1his or her action that resulted in injury to one or more persons, done while in the
2intoxicated or drugged condition, was practically certain to result in injury to one or
3more persons.
SB1, s. 28 4Section 28. 895.044 of the statutes is created to read:
SB1,18,8 5895.044 Damages for maintaining certain claims and counterclaims.
6(1) A party or a party's attorney may be liable for costs and fees under this section
7for commencing, using, or continuing an action, special proceeding, counterclaim,
8defense, cross complaint, or appeal to which any of the following applies:
SB1,18,119 (a) The action, special proceeding, counterclaim, defense, cross complaint, or
10appeal was commenced, used, or continued in bad faith, solely for purposes of
11harassing or maliciously injuring another.
SB1,18,1512 (b) The party or the party's attorney knew, or should have known, that the
13action, special proceeding, counterclaim, defense, cross complaint, or appeal was
14without any reasonable basis in law or equity and could not be supported by a good
15faith argument for an extension, modification, or reversal of existing law.
SB1,18,20 16(2) Upon either party's motion made at any time during the proceeding or upon
17judgment, if a court finds, upon clear and convincing evidence, that sub. (1) (a) or (b)
18applies to an action or special proceeding commenced or continued by a plaintiff or
19a counterclaim, defense, or cross complaint commenced, used, or continued by a
20defendant, the court:
SB1,19,521 (a) May, if the party served with the motion withdraws, or appropriately
22corrects, the action, special proceeding, counterclaim, defense, or cross complaint
23within 21 days after service of the motion, or within such other period as the court
24may prescribe, award to the party making the motion, as damages, the actual costs
25incurred by the party as a result of the action, special proceeding, counterclaim,

1defense, or cross complaint, including the actual reasonable attorney fees the party
2incurred, including fees incurred in any dispute over the application of this section.
3In determining whether to award, and the appropriate amount of, damages under
4this paragraph, the court shall take into consideration the timely withdrawal or
5correction made by the party served with the motion.
SB1,19,106 (b) Shall, if a withdrawal or correction under par. (a) is not timely made, award
7to the party making the motion, as damages, the actual costs incurred by the party
8as a result of the action, special proceeding, counterclaim, defense, or cross
9complaint, including the actual reasonable attorney fees the party incurred,
10including fees incurred in any dispute over the application of this section.
SB1,19,14 11(3) If a party makes a motion under sub. (2), a copy of that motion and a notice
12of the date of the hearing on that motion shall be served on any party who is not
13represented by counsel only by personal service or by sending the motion to the party
14by registered mail.
SB1,19,18 15(4) If an award under this section is affirmed upon appeal, the appellate court
16shall, upon completion of the appeal, remand the action to the trial court to award
17damages to compensate the successful party for the actual reasonable attorney fees
18the party incurred in the appeal.
SB1,19,24 19(5) If the appellate court finds that sub. (1) (a) or (b) applies to an appeal, the
20appellate court shall, upon completion of the appeal, remand the action to the trial
21court to award damages to compensate the successful party for all the actual
22reasonable attorney fees the party incurred in the appeal. An appeal is subject to this
23subsection in its entirety if any element necessary to succeed on the appeal is
24supported solely by an argument that is described under sub. (1) (a) or (b).
SB1,20,5
1(6) The costs and fees awarded under subs. (2), (4), and (5) may be assessed
2fully against the party bringing the action, special proceeding, cross complaint,
3defense, counterclaim, or appeal or the attorney representing the party, or both,
4jointly and severally, or may be assessed so that the party and the attorney each pay
5a portion of the costs and fees.
SB1,20,8 6(7) This section does not apply to criminal actions or civil forfeiture actions.
7Subsection (5) does not apply to appeals under s. 809.107, 809.30, or 974.05 or to
8appeals of criminal or civil forfeiture actions.
SB1, s. 29 9Section 29. 895.045 (3) of the statutes is created to read:
SB1,20,1610 895.045 (3) Product liability. (a) In an action by any person to recover
11damages for injuries caused by a defective product based on a claim of strict liability,
12the fact finder shall first determine if the injured party has the right to recover
13damages. To do so, the fact finder shall determine what percentage of the total causal
14responsibility for the injury resulted from the contributory negligence of the injured
15person, what percentage resulted from the defective condition of the product, and
16what percentage resulted from the contributory negligence of any other person.
SB1,20,2117 (b) If the injured party's percentage of total causal responsibility for the injury
18is greater than the percentage resulting from the defective condition of the product,
19the injured party may not, based on the defect in the product, recover damages from
20the manufacturer, distributor, seller, or any other person responsible for placing the
21product in the stream of commerce.
SB1,20,2522 (c) If the injured party's percentage of total causal responsibility for the injury
23is equal to or less than the percentage resulting from the defective condition of the
24product, the injured party may recover but the damages recovered by the injured
25party shall be diminished by the percentage attributed to that injured party.
SB1,21,15
1(d) If multiple defendants are alleged to be responsible for the defective
2condition of the product, and the injured party is not barred from recovery under par.
3(b), the fact finder shall determine the percentage of causal responsibility of each
4product defendant for the defective condition of the product. The judge shall then
5multiply that percentage of causal responsibility of each product defendant for the
6defective condition of the product by the percentage of causal responsibility for the
7injury to the person attributed to the defective product. The result of that
8multiplication is the individual product defendant's percentage of responsibility for
9the damages to the injured party. A product defendant whose responsibility for the
10damages to the injured party is 51 percent or more of the total responsibility for the
11damages to the injured party is jointly and severally liable for all of the damages to
12the injured party. The responsibility of a product defendant whose responsibility for
13the damages to the injured party is less than 51 percent of the total responsibility
14for the damages to the injured party is limited to that product defendant's percentage
15of responsibility for the damages to the injured party.
SB1,21,1916 (e) If the injured party is not barred from recovery under par. (b), the fact that
17the injured party's causal responsibility for the injury is greater than an individual
18product defendant's responsibility for the damages to the injured party does not bar
19the injured party from recovering from that individual product defendant.
SB1,21,2120 (f) This subsection does not apply to actions based on negligence or a breach of
21warranty.
SB1, s. 30 22Section 30. 895.046 of the statutes is created to read:
SB1,21,24 23895.046 Remedies against manufacturers, distributors, sellers, and
24promoters of products.
(1) Definitions. In this section:
SB1,22,2
1(a) "Claimant" means a person seeking damages or other relief for injury or
2harm to a person or property caused by or arising from a product.
SB1,22,53 (b) "Relevant production period" means the time period during which the
4specific product that allegedly caused a claimant's injury or harm was manufactured,
5distributed, sold, or promoted.
SB1,22,12 6(2) Applicability. This section applies to all actions in which a claimant alleges
7that the manufacturer, distributor, seller, or promoter of a product is liable for an
8injury or harm to a person or property, including actions based on allegations that
9the design, manufacture, distribution, sale, or promotion of, or instructions or
10warnings about, a product caused or contributed to a personal injury or harm to a
11person or property, a private nuisance, or a public nuisance, and to all related or
12independent claims, including unjust enrichment, restitution, or indemnification.
SB1,22,18 13(3) Remedy with specific product identification. Except as provided in sub.
14(4), the manufacturer, distributor, seller, or promoter of a product may be held liable
15in an action under sub. (2) only if the claimant proves, in addition to any other
16elements required to prove his or her claim, that the manufacturer, distributor,
17seller, or promoter of a product manufactured, distributed, sold, or promoted the
18specific product alleged to have caused the claimant's injury or harm.
SB1,22,22 19(4) Remedy without specific product identification. Subject to sub. (5), if a
20claimant cannot meet the burden of proof under sub. (3), the manufacturer,
21distributor, seller, or promoter of a product may be held liable for an action under sub.
22(2) only if all of the following apply:
SB1,22,2323 (a) The claimant proves all of the following:
SB1,22,2524 1. That no other lawful process exists for the claimant to seek redress from
25another person for the injury or harm.
SB1,23,3
12. That the claimant has suffered an injury or harm that can be caused only
2by a product chemically identical to the specific product that allegedly caused the
3claimant's injury or harm.
SB1,23,64 3. That the manufacturer, distributor, seller, or promoter of a product
5manufactured, distributed, sold, or promoted a product that meets all of the
6following criteria:
SB1,23,87 a. Is chemically identical to the specific product that allegedly caused the
8claimant's injury or harm.
SB1,23,119 b. Was manufactured, distributed, sold, or promoted in this state during the
10time period in which the specific product that allegedly caused the claimant's injury
11or harm was manufactured, distributed, sold, or promoted.
SB1,23,1512 (b) The action names, as defendants, those manufacturers of a product who
13collectively, during the relevant production period, manufactured at least 80 percent
14of all products sold in this state that are chemically identical to the specific product
15that allegedly caused the claimant's injury or harm.
SB1,23,21 16(5) Limitation on liability. No manufacturer, distributor, seller, or promoter
17of a product is liable under sub. (4) if more than 25 years have passed between the
18date that the manufacturer, distributor, seller, or promoter of a product last
19manufactured, distributed, sold, or promoted a product chemically identical to the
20specific product that allegedly caused the claimant's injury and the date that the
21claimant's cause of action accrued.
SB1,23,25 22(6) Apportionment of liability. If more than one manufacturer, distributor,
23seller, or promoter of a product is found liable for the claimant's injury or harm under
24subs. (4) and (5), the court shall apportion liability among those manufacturers,
25distributors, sellers, and promoters, but that liability shall be several and not joint.
SB1, s. 31
1Section 31. 895.047 of the statutes is created to read:
SB1,24,5 2895.047 Product liability. (1) Liability of manufacturer. In an action for
3damages caused by a manufactured product based on a claim of strict liability, a
4manufacturer is liable to a claimant if the claimant establishes all of the following
5by a preponderance of the evidence:
SB1,24,176 (a) That the product is defective because it contains a manufacturing defect,
7is defective in design, or is defective because of inadequate instructions or warnings.
8A product contains a manufacturing defect if the product departs from its intended
9design even though all possible care was exercised in the manufacture of the product.
10A product is defective in design if the foreseeable risks of harm posed by the product
11could have been reduced or avoided by the adoption of a reasonable alternative
12design by the manufacturer and the omission of the alternative design renders the
13product not reasonably safe. A product is defective because of inadequate
14instructions or warnings only if the foreseeable risks of harm posed by the product
15could have been reduced or avoided by the provision of reasonable instructions or
16warnings by the manufacturer and the omission of the instructions or warnings
17renders the product not reasonably safe.
SB1,24,1918 (b) That the defective condition rendered the product unreasonably dangerous
19to persons or property.
SB1,24,2120 (c) That the defective condition existed at the time the product left the control
21of the manufacturer.
SB1,24,2322 (d) That the product reached the user or consumer without substantial change
23in the condition in which it was sold.
SB1,24,2424 (e) That the defective condition was a cause of the claimant's damages.
SB1,25,3
1(2) Liability of seller or distributor. (a) A seller or distributor of a product
2is not liable based on a claim of strict liability to a claimant unless the manufacturer
3would be liable under sub. (1) and any of the following applies:
SB1,25,74 1. The claimant proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the seller or
5distributor has contractually assumed one of the manufacturer's duties to
6manufacture, design, or provide warnings or instructions with respect to the
7product.
SB1,25,98 2. The claimant proves by a preponderance of the evidence that neither the
9manufacturer nor its insurer is subject to service of process within this state.
SB1,25,1110 3. A court determines that the claimant would be unable to enforce a judgment
11against the manufacturer or its insurer.
SB1,25,1412 (b) The court shall dismiss a product seller or distributor as a defendant based
13on par. (a) 2. if the manufacturer or its insurer submits itself to the jurisdiction of the
14court in which the suit is pending.
SB1,25,20 15(3) Defenses. (a) If the defendant proves by clear and convincing evidence that
16at the time of the injury the claimant was under the influence of any controlled
17substance or controlled substance analog to the extent prohibited under s. 346.63 (1)
18(a), or had an alcohol concentration, as defined in s. 340.01 (1v), of 0.08 or more, there
19shall be a rebuttable presumption that the claimant's intoxication or drug use was
20the cause of his or her injury.
SB1,25,2421 (b) Evidence that the product, at the time of sale, complied in material respects
22with relevant standards, conditions, or specifications adopted or approved by a
23federal or state law or agency shall create a rebuttable presumption that the product
24is not defective.
SB1,26,4
1(c) The damages for which a manufacturer, seller, or distributor would
2otherwise be liable shall be reduced by the percentage of causal responsibility for the
3claimant's harm attributable to the claimant's misuse, alteration, or modification of
4the product.
SB1,26,85 (d) The court shall dismiss the claimant's action under this section if the
6damage was caused by an inherent characteristic of the product that would be
7recognized by an ordinary person with ordinary knowledge common to the
8community that uses or consumes the product.
SB1,26,129 (e) A seller or distributor of a product is not liable to a claimant for damages
10if the seller or distributor receives the product in a sealed container and has no
11reasonable opportunity to test or inspect the product. This paragraph does not apply
12if the seller or distributor may be liable under sub. (2) (a) 2. or 3.
SB1,26,19 13(4) Subsequent remedial measures. In an action for damages caused by a
14manufactured product based on a claim of strict liability, evidence of remedial
15measures taken subsequent to the sale of the product is not admissible for the
16purpose of showing a manufacturing defect in the product, a defect in the design of
17the product, or a need for a warning or instruction. This subsection does not prohibit
18the admission of such evidence to show a reasonable alternative design that existed
19at the time when the product was sold.
SB1,26,25 20(5) Time limit. In any action under this section, a defendant is not liable to a
21claimant for damages if the product alleged to have caused the damage was
22manufactured 15 years or more before the claim accrues, unless the manufacturer
23makes a specific representation that the product will last for a period beyond 15
24years. This subsection does not apply to an action based on a claim for damages
25caused by a latent disease.
SB1,27,2
1(6) Inapplicability. This section does not apply to actions based on a claim of
2negligence or breach of warranty.
SB1, s. 32 3Section 32. 904.16 of the statutes is created to read:
SB1,27,4 4904.16 Health care reports. (1) In this section:
SB1,27,55 (a) "Health care provider" has the meaning given in s. 146.38 (1) (b).
SB1,27,86 (b) "Regulatory agency" means the department of regulation and licensing or
7the division within the department of health services that conducts quality
8assurance activities related to health care providers.
SB1,27,10 9(2) Except as provided in sub. (3), the following may not be used as evidence
10in a civil or criminal action brought against a health care provider.
SB1,27,1211 (a) Reports that a regulatory agency requires a health care provider to give or
12disclose to that regulatory agency.
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