Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer’s Bill to Streamline Evidence Gathering in Lawsuits Wins Senate Approval

Bill to Streamline Evidence Gathering in Lawsuits Wins Senate Approval

JEFFERSON CITY — Legislation that will reduce the time and cost of lawsuits in Missouri is one step closer to becoming law. Senate Bill 224, sponsored by State Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, R-Parkville, was passed by the Senate and now moves to the House of Representatives.

Senator Tony Luetkemeyer’s Senate Bill 224 would streamline discovery procedures.

Senate Bill 224 reforms the rules for discovery in civil court cases. The legislation limits the time-consuming and expensive phase of gathering evidence prior to a trial. The measure seeks to prevent abuses of the evidence-gathering process, which can raise costs and deny plaintiffs a speedy outcome of trials.

“Discovery accounts for about 75 percent of the time and cost of any civil lawsuit,” Sen. Luetkemeyer said. “This legislation streamlines that process and will lower the cost and reduce the length of court proceedings for all parties. Plaintiffs who have been wronged can receive settlements sooner, and defendants facing frivolous lawsuits can have them resolved with minimum delay and cost. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

Negotiations surrounding the language of SB 224 kept lawmakers in the Senate chamber until 2 a.m. last week. With approval from the Senate, the measure must now be approved by the House of Representatives prior to the close of business on May 17, the final day of the 2019 General Assembly.

For more information about Sen. Luetkemeyer, visit www.senate.mo.gov/luetkemeyer.