Iowa Code 686A.5 – Discovery — use of materials
Current as of: 2023 | Check for updates
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1. Trust claims materials and trust governance documents are presumed to be relevant and authentic, and are admissible in evidence in an asbestos action. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, a claim of privilege does not apply to any trust claims materials or trust governance documents.
Terms Used In Iowa Code 686A.5
- Asbestos: means chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite asbestos, anthophyllite asbestos, actinolite asbestos, asbestiform winchite, asbestiform richterite, asbestiform amphibole minerals, and any of these minerals that have been chemically treated or altered, including all minerals defined as asbestos in 29 C. See Iowa Code 686A.2
- Asbestos action: means a claim for damages or other civil or equitable relief presented in a civil action arising out of, based on, or related to the health effects of exposure to asbestos, including loss of consortium, wrongful death, mental or emotional injury, risk or fear of disease or other injury, costs of medical monitoring or surveillance, and any other derivative claim made by or on behalf of a person exposed to asbestos or a representative, spouse, parent, child, or other relative of that person. See Iowa Code 686A.2
- Asbestos trust: means a government-approved or court-approved trust, qualified settlement fund, compensation fund, or claims facility created as a result of an administrative or legal action, a court-approved bankruptcy, or pursuant to 11 U. See Iowa Code 686A.2
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Plaintiff: means the person bringing an asbestos action, including a personal representative if the asbestos action is brought by an estate, or a conservator or next friend if the asbestos action is brought on behalf of a minor or legally incapacitated individual. See Iowa Code 686A.2
- Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
- Trust claims materials: means a final executed proof of claim and all other documents and information related to a claim against an asbestos trust, including claims forms and supplementary materials, affidavits, depositions and trial testimony, work history, and medical and health records, documents reflecting the status of a claim against an asbestos trust, and if the trust claim has settled, all documents relating to the settlement of the trust claim. See Iowa Code 686A.2
- Trust governance documents: means all documents that relate to eligibility and payment levels, including claims payment matrices, trust distribution procedures, or plans for reorganization, for an asbestos trust. See Iowa Code 686A.2
2. A defendant in an asbestos action may seek discovery from an asbestos trust. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the plaintiff may not claim privilege or confidentiality to bar discovery and shall provide consent or other expression of permission that may be required by the asbestos trust to release information and materials sought by a defendant.
3. Trust claim materials that are sufficient to entitle a claim to consideration for payment under the applicable trust governance documents may be sufficient to support a jury finding that the plaintiff may have been exposed to products for which the trust was established to provide compensation and that, under applicable law, such exposure may be a substantial contributing factor in causing the plaintiff’s injury that is at issue in the asbestos action.