101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
SB1439

 

Introduced 2/13/2019, by Sen. Jil Tracy

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Full and Fair Noneconomic Damages Act. Provides that, in determining noneconomic damages, the fact finder may not consider: (i) evidence of a defendant's alleged wrongdoing, misconduct, or guilt; (ii) evidence of the defendant's wealth or financial resources; or (iii) any other evidence that is offered for the purpose of punishing the defendant, rather than offered for a compensatory purpose. Provides for bifurcated trials before the same jury in cases involving punitive damages, if requested by any defendant. Outlines the procedure for the bifurcated trials. Provides for court post-trial review of noneconomic damage awards pursuant to specified nonexclusive factors. Includes legislative findings, definitions, and applicability language. Effective immediately.


LRB101 06111 LNS 51132 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB1439LRB101 06111 LNS 51132 b

1    AN ACT concerning civil law.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Full
5and Fair Noneconomic Damages Act.
 
6    Section 5. Findings.
7    (a) The purpose of this Act is to ensure that individuals
8receive full and fair compensatory damages, including damages
9for pain and suffering.
10    (b) Pain and suffering awards are intended to provide an
11injured person with compensation for the pain and suffering
12resulting from the injury at issue in a particular lawsuit.
13    (c) Punitive damages are intended to punish a defendant for
14wrongful conduct. Punitive damages are subject to certain
15statutory requirements, must be based on the appropriate
16evidence, and must be in accordance with the constitutional
17jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of the United States.
18    (d) Pain and suffering awards are distinct from punitive
19damages. Pain and suffering awards are intended to compensate a
20person for his or her loss. They are not intended to punish a
21defendant for wrongful conduct.
22    (e) For that reason, evidence that juries may consider in
23awarding pain and suffering damages is different from evidence

 

 

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1courts may consider for punitive damages. For example, the
2amount of a plaintiff's pain and suffering is not relevant to a
3decision on wrongdoing, and the degree of the defendant's
4wrongdoing is not relevant to the amount of pain and suffering.
5    (f) The size of noneconomic damage awards, which includes
6pain and suffering, has increased dramatically in recent years.
7While pain and suffering awards are inherently subjective, the
8General Assembly believes that this inflation of noneconomic
9damages is partially due to the improper consideration of
10evidence of wrongdoing in assessing pain and suffering damages.
11    (g) Inflated damage awards create an improper resolution of
12civil justice claims. The increased and improper costs of
13litigation and resulting rise in insurance premiums are passed
14on to the general public through higher prices for products and
15services. Therefore, courts should provide juries with clear
16instructions about the purpose of pain and suffering damages.
17Courts should instruct juries that evidence of misconduct is
18not to be considered in deciding compensation for noneconomic
19damages. Rather, it is to be considered solely for the purpose
20of deciding punitive damage awards.
21    (h) In each case in which an award for punitive damages is
22requested, the defendant should have the right to request
23bifurcation of a trial to ensure that evidence of misconduct is
24not inappropriately considered by the jury in its determination
25of liability and compensatory damages.
26    (i) As an additional protection, trial and appellate courts

 

 

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1should rigorously review pain and suffering awards to ensure
2that they properly serve compensatory purposes and are not
3excessive.
 
4    Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
5    "Exemplary damages" means damages awarded as a penalty or
6by way of punishment but not for compensatory purposes.
7Exemplary damages are neither economic nor noneconomic
8damages. "Exemplary damages" includes punitive damages.
9    "Noneconomic damages" means damages, recoverable in a tort
10action, that are awarded for the purpose of compensating a
11claimant for physical pain and suffering, mental or emotional
12pain or anguish, loss of consortium, disfigurement, physical
13impairment, loss of companionship and society, inconvenience,
14loss of enjoyment of life, and all other nonpecuniary losses
15other than exemplary or punitive damages.
16    "Pain and suffering" means the type of noneconomic damages
17that cover actual physical pain and suffering that is the
18proximate result of a physical injury sustained by a person.
 
19    Section 15. Noneconomic damages; determination.
20    (a) In determining noneconomic damages, the finder of fact
21may not consider:
22        (1) evidence of a defendant's alleged wrongdoing,
23    misconduct, or guilt;
24        (2) evidence of a defendant's wealth or financial

 

 

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1    resources; or
2        (3) any other evidence that is offered for the purpose
3    of punishing a defendant, rather than offered for a
4    compensatory purpose.
 
5    Section 20. Procedure for trial of compensatory and
6punitive damages.
7    (a) All actions involving punitive damages tried before a
8jury shall, if requested by any defendant, be conducted in a
9bifurcated trial before the same jury.
10    (b) In the first stage of a bifurcated trial, the jury
11shall determine liability for compensatory damages and the
12amount of compensatory damages or nominal damages. Evidence
13relevant only to the issues of punitive damages is not
14admissible in this stage.
15    (c) Punitive damages may be awarded only if compensatory
16damages have been awarded in the first stage of the trial. An
17award of nominal damages cannot support an award of punitive
18damages.
19    (d) In the second stage of a bifurcated trial, the jury
20shall determine whether a defendant is liable for punitive
21damages.
 
22    Section 25. Review of noneconomic damage awards.
23    (a) Upon a post-trial motion, a trial court shall perform a
24rigorous analysis of the evidence supporting a noneconomic

 

 

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1damages award challenged as excessive. The court shall consider
2in its analysis the following nonexclusive factors:
3        (1) Whether the evidence presented or the arguments of
4    counsel resulted in one or more of the following events in
5    the determination of a noneconomic damage award:
6            (i) It inflamed the passion or prejudice of the
7        trier of fact.
8            (ii) It resulted in the improper consideration of
9        the wealth of the defendant.
10            (iii) It resulted in the improper consideration of
11        the misconduct of the defendant so as to punish the
12        defendant in circumvention of statutory or
13        constitutional standards applicable to punitive damage
14        awards.
15        (2) Whether the verdict is in excess of verdicts
16    involving comparable injuries to similarly situated
17    plaintiffs.
18        (3) Whether there were any extraordinary circumstances
19    in the record to account for an award in excess of what was
20    granted by courts to similarly situated plaintiffs, with
21    consideration to the injury type, the severity of the
22    injury, and the plaintiff's age.
23    (b) A trial court upholding a noneconomic damages award
24challenged as excessive shall set forth in writing its reasons
25for upholding the award.
26    (c) A reviewing court shall use a de novo standard of

 

 

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1review when considering an appeal of a noneconomic damages
2award on the grounds of excessiveness.
 
3    Section 30. Applicability. This Act applies to actions
4filed on or after its effective date.
 
5    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
6becoming law.