60-258a. Comparative negligence. (a) Effect of contributory negligence. The contributory negligence of a party in a civil action does not bar that party or its legal representative from recovering damages for negligence resulting in death, personal injury, property damage or economic loss, if that party's negligence was less than the causal negligence of the party or parties against whom a claim is made, but the award of damages to that party must be reduced in proportion to the amount of negligence attributed to that party. If a party claims damages for a decedent's wrongful death, the negligence of the decedent, if any, must be imputed to that party.

(b) Special verdicts or findings required. When the comparative negligence of the parties is an issue, the jury must return special verdicts, or in the absence of a jury, the court must make special findings, determining the percentage of negligence attributable to each party and the total amount of damages sustained by each claimant. The court must determine the appropriate judgment.

(c) Joining additional parties. On motion of any party against whom a claim is asserted for negligence resulting in death, personal injury, property damage or economic loss, any other person whose causal negligence is claimed to have contributed to the death, personal injury, property damage or economic loss, must be joined as an additional party.

(d) Apportioning liability. When the comparative negligence of the parties is an issue and recovery is permitted against more than one party, each party is liable for that portion of the total dollar amount awarded as damages to a claimant in the proportion that the amount of that party's causal negligence bears to the amount of the causal negligence attributed to all parties against whom recovery is permitted.

(e) Applicability. This section is applicable to actions under this chapter and to actions commenced under the code of civil procedure for limited actions.

History: L. 1974, ch. 239, § 1; L. 1976, ch. 251, § 4; L. 1987, ch. 221, § 1; L. 2010, ch. 135, § 132; July 1.