Wrongful Death Lawsuit Limits Upheld in Missouri

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The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled that caps on how much money someone can win in a wrongful death lawsuit do not violate the constitution.

The decision says a person’s right to a jury trial in those cases is not violated by limiting damages for noneconomic factors such as pain and suffering.

In this case, a jury awarded $9 million in noneconomic damages for a wrongful death following a medical procedure. State law required the court to reduce that to $350,000.

Republicans have championed lawsuit restrictions as a way to make the state more attractive to businesses and health care providers.

But in the past the state Supreme Court has rolled back some of those limits, such as medical malpractice caps.