The bill revises existing laws related to civil lawsuits involving products, specifically addressing strict liability and breach of warranty claims. It allows defendants to assert a defense that damages were caused by a person with whom the claimant has settled or released from liability. Additionally, the bill introduces provisions for contributory negligence as a defense in product liability lawsuits and permits sellers of products to assert certain defenses.

Furthermore, the bill establishes standards of proof for claimants in specific product actions and includes definitions relevant to these changes. It amends sections 27-1-703 and 27-1-719 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) to incorporate these revisions, and it provides for an immediate effective date and applicability date for the new provisions.

Statutes affected:
SB0216_1.pdf: 27-1-703, 27-1-719
SB0216_2.pdf: 27-1-703, 27-1-719
Amended: 27-1-703, 27-1-719
Introduced: 27-1-703, 27-1-719