FIRSTREGULARSESSION
HOUSEBILLNO.437
103RDGENERALASSEMBLY
INTRODUCEDBYREPRESENTATIVEHARDWICK.
1524H.01I DANARADEMANMILLER,ChiefClerk
ANACT
Torepealsection537.058,RSMo,andtoenactinlieuthereofonenewsectionrelatingto
settlementdemands.
BeitenactedbytheGeneralAssemblyofthestateofMissouri,asfollows:
SectionA.Section537.058,RSMo,isrepealedandonenewsectionenactedinlieu
2thereof,tobeknownassection537.058,toreadasfollows:
537.058.1.Asusedinthissection,thefollowingtermsshallmean:
2 (1)"Extracontractualdamages",anyamountofdamagethatexceedsthetotal
3availablelimitofliabilityinsuranceforallofaliabilityinsurer'sliabilityinsurancepolicies
4applicabletoaclaimforpersonalinjury,bodilyinjury,orwrongfuldeath;
5 (2)"[Time-limited] Settlementdemand",anyoffertosettleanyclaimforpersonal
6injury,bodilyinjury,orwrongfuldeathmadebyoronbehalfofaclaimanttoatort-feasor
7withaliabilityinsurancepolicyforpurposesofsettlingaclaimagainstsuchtort-feasorwithin
8theinsurer'slimitofliabilityinsurance[, whichbyitstermsmustbeacceptedwithina
9specifiedperiodoftime];
10 (3)"Tort-feasor",anypersonclaimedtohavecausedorcontributedtocausepersonal
11injury,bodilyinjury,orwrongfuldeathtoaclaimant.
12 2.[Atime-limited] Inanylawsuitallegingextracontractualdamagesagainstthe
13tort-feasor'sliabilityinsurer,anypriorsettlementdemandtosettleanyclaimforpersonal
14injury,bodilyinjury,orwrongfuldeathshall[be]notbeconsideredtohavebeena
15reasonableopportunitytosettletheclaimunlessthesettlementdemandwasinwriting,
16[shallreference] referencedthissection,[shallbe]wassentcertifiedmailreturn-receipt
17requestedtothetort-feasor'sliabilityinsurer,remainedopenforacceptancebytheliability
EXPLANATION—Matterenclosedinbold-facedbrackets[thus] intheabovebillisnotenactedandis
intendedtobeomittedfromthelaw.Matterinbold-facetypeintheabovebillisproposedlanguage. 18insurerforatleastninetydaysfromthedatesuchdemandwasreceivedbytheliability
19insurer,and[shallcontain] containedthefollowingadditionalmaterialterms:
20 (1)Thetimeperiodwithinwhichtheoffershallremainopenforacceptancebythe
21tort-feasor'sliabilityinsurer[, whichshallnotbeless]ifthetimeperiodforacceptanceis
22morethanninetydaysfromthedatesuchdemandisreceivedbytheliabilityinsurer;
23 (2)Theamountofmonetarypaymentrequestedorarequestfortheapplicablepolicy
24limits;
25 (3)Thedateandlocationoftheloss;
26 (4)Theclaimnumber,ifknown;
27 (5)Adescriptionofallknowninjuriessustainedbytheclaimant;
28 (6)Thepartyorpartiestobereleasedifsuch[time-limited] settlementdemandis
29accepted;
30 (7)Adescriptionoftheclaimstobereleasedifsuch[time-limited] settlement
31demandisaccepted;and
32 (8)Anofferofunconditionalreleasefortheliabilityinsurer'sinsuredsfromall
33presentandfutureliabilityforthatoccurrenceundersection537.060.
34 3.Such[time-limited] settlementdemandshallbeaccompaniedby:
35 (1)Alistofthenamesandaddressesofhealthcareproviderswhoprovidedtreatment
36toorevaluationoftheclaimantordecedentforinjuriessufferedfromthedateofinjuryuntil
37thedateofthe[time-limited] settlementdemand,andHIPAAcompliantwritten
38authorizationssufficienttoallowtheliabilityinsurertoobtainsuchrecordsfromthe
39healthcareproviderslisted;and
40 (2)Alistofthenamesandaddressesofalltheclaimant'semployersatthetimethe
41claimantwasfirstinjureduntilthedateofthe[time-limited] settlementdemand,andwritten
42authorizationssufficienttoallowtheliabilityinsurertoobtainsuchrecordsfromall
43employerslisted,iftheclaimantassertsalossofwages,earnings,compensation,orprofits
44howeverdenominated.
45 4.Ifaliabilityinsurerwiththerighttosettleonbehalfofaninsuredreceivesa[time-
46limited] settlementdemand,suchinsurermayacceptthe[time-limited] settlementdemand
47byprovidingwrittenacceptanceofthematerialtermsoutlinedinsubsection2ofthissection,
48deliveredorpostmarkedtotheclaimantortheclaimant'srepresentativewithinthetimeperiod
49[setinthetime-limited] inwhichthesettlementdemandisopenforacceptancebythe
50liabilityinsurer,whichinnoeventshallbelessthanninetydays.
51 5.Nothinginthissectionshallprohibitaclaimantmakinga[time-limited] settlement
52demandfromrequiringpaymentwithinaspecifiedperiod;provided,however,thatsuch
53periodforpaymentshallnotbelessthantendaysaftertheinsurer'sreceiptofafullyexecuted
54unconditionalreleaseundersection537.060asspecifiedinsubsection2ofthissection.
HB437 2 55 6.Nothinginthissectionappliestooffersordemandsor[time-limited] settlement
56demandsissuedwithinninetydaysofthetrialbyjuryofanyclaimonwhichalawsuithas
57beenfiled.
58 7.Inanylawsuitfiledbyaclaimantasanassigneeofthetort-feasororbythetort-
59feasorforthebenefitoftheclaimant,a[time-limited] settlementdemandthatdoesnot
60complywiththetermsofthissectionshallnotbeconsideredasareasonableopportunityto
61settlefortheinsurerandshallnotbeadmissibleinanylawsuitallegingextracontractual
62damagesagainstthetort-feasor'sliabilityinsurer.
âś”
HB437 3