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House bill would require 90‑day written settlement demands before extra‑contractual claims
Summary
A House Commerce Committee hearing on House Bill 437 heard sponsors and insurance‑industry supporters urging a 90‑day written window for settlement demands tied to extra‑contractual (bad‑faith) claims; trial‑lawyer witnesses and public‑health/consumer groups warned the change could delay payments and limit local enforcement options.
Representative Bill Hardwick, sponsor of House Bill 437, introduced the measure to the Missouri House Committee on Commerce as a rule change for settlement demands in injury cases. "My name is Bill Hardwick. I represent House District 121 presenting House Bill 4 37," Hardwick said. He said the bill would require that a time‑limited settlement demand that will later be used to support a claim for extra‑contractual damages be made in writing, reference the statute, and "be held up in 90 days."
The bill targets what supporters described as a loophole in existing law governing extra‑contractual or "bad faith" claims. A lawyer testifying for Shelter Insurance Companies and the Missouri Insurance Coalition told the committee "the purpose of…
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