Oklahoma has been named a “Tort Reform Trailblazer” by the American Tort Reform Association in its annual Legislative HeatCheck report.
National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) State Director Jerrod Shouse credited the Legislature for enacting Senate Bill 453, a measure that sets caps on non-economic damages and tightens rules on expert witness testimony.
“When we have a fair judicial system, that benefits every Oklahoman,” Shouse said. “Inflation has taken a major toll on small business owners in the past several years, and excessive tort costs have exacerbated those challenges. That’s why the passage and signature of Senate Bill 453 was so important this legislative session.”
In 2019, the Oklahoma Supreme Court struck down the previous non-economic damages cap of $350,000.
Signed into law earlier this year, SB 453 limits non-economic damages to $500,000 in cases involving physical injury and $1 million in cases involving permanent mental injury. The legislation also brings Oklahoma in line with federal courts by adopting the Daubert standard for admitting expert witness testimony.
