Friday, January 6, 2012

Citizen's Rights to Take a Beating if Lawmakers Prevail

The legislative session is starting off with a bang in 2012. Already bills are being filed to take away the right to trial by jury for Missourians. Below is a short list of what has already been proposed.
SB 572 (Dempsey): Workers’ Compensation and Second Injury Fund
This bill modifies the laws relating to the funding of the Second Injury Fund, workers’ compensation claims for occupational dis-eases, and co-employee liability.
SB 592 (Lager): Employment Discrimination
This year’s bill changes the standard of proof from "a contributing" to "a motivating" factor, allows judges to make determinations of fact when granting or denying summary judgment, and places lim-its on damages recoverable in employment discrimination claims. It also eliminates protection for whistleblowers who, in good faith, report wrongdoing that falls short of actual violations of the law and for whistleblowers who report violations to their immediate superior rather than the company’s HR department or officer.
HB 1180 (Parkinson): Elimination of Joint and Several Liability
This bill is pretty straightforward. The bill completely eliminates joint and several liability and allows for the "empty chair" defense.

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