(a) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
Terms Used In Tennessee Code 29-34-202
Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(1) “Natural gas equipment” means storage vessels, compressors, dryers, dispensers, piping, compressed or liquefied gas appliances, or any other item that is installed by a natural gas provider; and(2) “Natural gas provider” means any person or entity engaged in the business of supplying, handling, transporting, or selling at retail compressed or liquefied natural gas intended for use with properly constructed, inspected, and certified vehicle fuel systems in this state.(b) A natural gas provider shall be immune from civil liability, if the proximate cause of the injury or damages was caused by actions of an ultimate consumer by:
(1) An alteration, modification or repair of gas equipment that could not have been discovered by the natural gas provider in the exercise of reasonable care; or(2) The use of natural gas equipment in a manner or for a purpose other than that for which the natural gas equipment was intended to be used or could reasonably have been foreseen; provided, that the natural gas provider or the manufacturer of the natural gas equipment has taken reasonable steps to warn the ultimate consumer of the hazards associated with foreseeable misuses of the equipment.(c)(1) Nothing in this section shall be construed as affecting, modifying, or eliminating the liability of a manufacturer of natural gas equipment or its employees under any legal claim, including, but not limited to, product liability claims.(2) This section applies to liability resulting from retail operations at the point of sale only. Nothing in this section shall be construed as affecting, modifying, or eliminating the liability of a manufacturer of natural gas equipment or its employees under any legal claim, including, but not limited to, product liability claims.(d) No defendant may allege or prove that a person or entity caused or contributed to causing a plaintiff‘s injuries, death, or other losses, unless the plaintiff could have maintained an action against the person.
