Pennsylvania Senate Passes Bill To Shake Up Lawsuit Liability Rules

HARRISBURG (CBS) - The state Senate has now joined the House in support of legislation that would make major changes to lawsuit liability rules in Pennsylvania.

The House and Senate have now each passed bills with similar but slightly different language that would change the current state law that holds that a defendant deemed only 1-percent liable in a case involving multiple defendants could be required to pay 100-percent of the judgment.

Senate Republican Jeffrey Piccola supports the so-called "Fair Share" act.

"Fairness is not -  if you're a handful of percent liable that you can be responsible for paying 100-percent of the damages," Piccola said.

However, suburban Philadelphia Republican Stewart Greenleaf says supporters of the bill are exaggerating.

"A 1-percent defendant paying 100-percent of the verdict? That has never happened in Pennsylvania. Ever!" Greenleaf said.

The bill passed by the Senate on Tuesday would require a defendant deemed less than 60-percent responsible to pay only their share of the damages.

Reported by Tony Romeo, KYW Newsradio