Michigan Laws 600.3014 – Trust claims materials and trust governance documents; presumption; discovery from asbestos trust; use and basis of trust materials
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Terms Used In Michigan Laws 600.3014
- 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. See Michigan Laws 600.3011
- Asbestos action: means a claim for damages or other civil or equitable relief presented in a civil action that arises out of, is based on, or is related to the health effects of exposure to asbestos, and any other derivative claim made by or on behalf of an individual exposed to asbestos or a representative, spouse, parent, child, or other relative of the individual. See Michigan Laws 600.3011
- Asbestos trust: means a government-approved or court-approved trust, qualified settlement fund, compensation fund, or claims facility that is created as a result of an administrative or legal action, a court-approved bankruptcy, or under 11 USC 524(g), 11 USC 1121(a), or another applicable provision of law and that is intended to provide compensation to claimants arising out of, based on, or related to the health effects of exposure to asbestos. See Michigan Laws 600.3011
- 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: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
- Plaintiff: means the person bringing the 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 Michigan Laws 600.3011
- 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, all documents that reflect the status of a claim against an asbestos trust, and, if the trust claim has settled, all documents that relate to the settlement of the trust claim. See Michigan Laws 600.3011
- Trust governance documents: means all documents that relate to eligibility and payment levels, including claims payment matrices, trust distribution procedures, and plans for reorganization, for an asbestos trust. See Michigan Laws 600.3011
(1) Trust claims materials and trust governance documents are presumed to be relevant and authentic, and are admissible in evidence in an asbestos action. A claim of privilege does not apply to trust claims materials or trust governance documents.
(2) A defendant in an asbestos action may seek discovery from an asbestos trust. The plaintiff may not claim privilege or confidentiality to bar discovery and shall provide consent at the time of asbestos trust identification, including, but not limited to, authorization for release of trust materials or other expression of permission that may be required by the asbestos trust to release information and materials sought by a defendant.
(3) Trust materials may be used to prove, without limitation, an alternative source for the cause of the plaintiff‘s alleged harm and may serve as a basis to allocate responsibility for the plaintiff’s alleged harm.