ENROLLED SENATE BILL NO. 632 establishes specialized business court divisions within Oklahoma district courts to handle complex commercial litigation, specifically in counties with populations over 500,000, such as Oklahoma County and Tulsa County. The bill outlines the appointment process for business court judges, requiring the Governor to appoint judges with Senate confirmation from a list provided by the Speaker of the House. It details the qualifications, terms, and jurisdiction of these judges, allowing them to manage cases with a minimum amount in controversy of $500,000 and various business-related claims. Additionally, the bill aligns the salaries of business court judges with those of associate justices of the Supreme Court and mandates the Supreme Court to create operational rules for these courts.

The legislation defines criteria for complex cases, including the number of parties, volume of evidence, and legal issues involved, while designating certain claims like antitrust and intellectual property as presumptively complex. It excludes individual consumer claims from this classification but allows mass actions or class actions involving such claims to be heard in business courts. The bill also sets procedural guidelines for filing and transferring cases, including a prohibition on such actions before January 1, 2026, and introduces a filing fee of $1,500 for business court actions. The bill is scheduled to take effect on September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 20-125
Floor (House): 20-125
Floor (Senate): 20-125
Engrossed: 20-125
Amended And Engrossed: 20-125
Senate Conference Committee Substitute: 20-125
Enrolled (final version): 20-125