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Heated testimony in Montana on HB 803: insurers and industry back asbestos transparency; Libby residents and veterans warn of delays
Summary
Representative Greg Overstreet told the Senate Judiciary Committee House Bill 803 is a two-part package to reduce duplicative asbestos recoveries and require plaintiffs to file bankruptcy-trust claims before or within 30 days of filing a civil tort action.
Representative Greg Overstreet opened the HB 803 hearing by describing the bill as a set of procedural reforms meant to make asbestos litigation “efficient and fair.” He told the Senate Judiciary Committee HB 803 requires plaintiffs to file bankruptcy-trust claims “before or within 30 days of filing a civil suit” and to produce basic information about which defendants plausibly caused asbestos exposure.
“Many manufacturers of asbestos products went bankrupt,” Overstreet said, and the bill’s transparency provisions aim to prevent double recovery and to give juries the full picture of trust claims and tort claims.
Proponents — including the Montana Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Tort Reform Association, the Montana Petroleum Association and trade groups — argued HB 803 protects solvent defendants from being overnamed and cut legal costs by giving juries full exposure histories up front. Charles Robison of the Montana…
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