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Wisconsin governor signs tort reform bill

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MADISON, Wis.—Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed into a law a multifaceted tort reform measure on Thursday.

The measure, S.B. 1, amends Wisconsin law to limit noneconomic damages awarded in liability cases against long-term care facilities such as nursing homes to $750,000, the same limit as for medical malpractice awards. The measure also caps punitive damages in most liability cases to the greater of $200,000 or twice compensatory damages.

The law also creates a rebuttable presumption that a product is not defective if the product complied with federal or state standards, regardless of whether those standards effectively protect consumers from death or injuries.

Caps on noneconomic damages have come under legal challenge in Wisconsin in the past. The state Supreme Court struck down the state’s limits on noneconomic damages in certain medical malpractice cases in 2005, but the lawmakers reinstated caps later the same year.