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Committee Substitute House Bill 3174 History

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COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE

FOR

H. B. 3174

(By Delegate Amores)


(Originating in the Committee on the Judiciary)


[March 28, 2005]


A BILL to amend and reenact §55-7-11a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to the admissibility of expressions of apology, sympathy, commiseration, condolence, compassion or general sense of benevolence made by a healthcare provider to a patient, or relatives or representatives of the patient; inadmissability of statements as evidence of admission of liability; and definition of terms.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §55-7-11a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 7. ACTIONS FOR INJURIES.
§55-7-11a. Settlement, release or statement within twenty days after personal injury; disavowal; certain expressions of sympathy inadmissible as evidence.

(a) If a person sustains a personal injury, no person shall within twenty days from the date of such the personal injury while the injured person is either: (a) (i) An inpatient in any hospital; or (b) (ii) partially or totally unable to engage in his or her usual trade, profession or occupation:
(1) Negotiate or attempt to negotiate a settlement of any claim for such personal injury with or for and on behalf of such the injured person;
(2) Obtain or attempt to obtain from such the injured person a partial or general release of liability for such injury; or
(3) Obtain or attempt to obtain any statement, either written or oral, from the injured person for use in negotiating a settlement or obtaining a partial or general release of liability with respect to such the personal injury: Provided, That nothing herein shall prohibit a person acting or intending to act for and on behalf of such the injured person from obtaining any statement, oral or written, from an injured person upon the express request of the injured person.
Nothing herein shall prevent a person who may be liable for damages on account of such the personal injury from making an advance payment of all or any part of his or her liability for such the damages; any sum paid during such the twenty days by a person liable for damages on account of such the personal injury shall be is allowed as full credit against any damages which may be finally determined to be due an injured person.
Any settlement, release of liability or statement entered into, obtained or made in violation of this section may be disavowed by the injured person at any time within one hundred eighty days from the date of the personal injury by executing a written statement of disavowal and thereupon forwarding a copy of the same to the person violating this section, in which event such the settlement, release or statement shall may not be admissible in evidence for any purpose in any court or other proceeding relating to such the personal injury, if any consideration paid for the settlement of or the general release of liability for such the personal injury, at the time of the forwarding of the copy of such the written statement of disavowal, is repaid or returned to the person who paid such the consideration.
(b) (1) No statement, affirmation, gesture or conduct of a healthcare provider who provided healthcare services to a patient, expressing apology, sympathy, commiseration, condolence, compassion or a general sense of benevolence, to the patient, a relative of the patient or a representative of the patient and which relate to the discomfort, pain, suffering, injury or death of the patient shall be admissible as evidence of an admission of liability or as evidence of an admission against interest in any civil action brought under the provisions of article seven-b, chapter fifty-five of this code, or in any arbitration, mediation or other alternative dispute resolution proceeding related to such civil action.
(2) Terms not otherwise defined in this section have the meanings assigned to them in article seven-b, chapter fifty-five of this code. For purposes of this section, unless the context otherwise requires, "relative" means a spouse, parent, grandparent, stepfather, stepmother, child, grandchild, brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister or spouse's parents. The term includes said relationships that are created as a result of adoption. In addition, "relative" includes any person who has a family-type relationship with a patient.

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