Missouri Laws 512.085 – Supersedeas bond requirements, tobacco settlement litigation
1. In order to secure and protect the moneys to be received as a result of the master settlement agreement, as defined in section 196.1000, in civil litigation as to any claim relating to tobacco products involving a signatory, a successor of a signatory, or an affiliate of a signatory to the master settlement agreement, the amount of the required undertaking or bond or equivalent surety to be furnished during the pendency of an appeal or any discretionary appellate review of any judgment granting legal, equitable, or any other form of relief in order to stay the execution thereon during the entire course of appellate review shall be set in accordance with applicable laws or court rules, except that the total appeal bond or equivalent surety that is required of all appellants collectively shall not exceed fifty million dollars, regardless of the value of the judgment. Nothing in this section or any other provision of law shall be construed to eliminate the discretion of the court, for good cause shown, to set the undertaking or bond on appeal in an amount lower than that otherwise established by law.
2. If the appellee proves by a preponderance of the evidence that a party bringing an appeal or seeking a stay, for whom the undertaking has been limited, is purposefully dissipating or diverting assets outside of the ordinary course of its business for the purpose of avoiding ultimate payment of the judgment, a limitation granted pursuant to subsection 1 of this section may be rescinded and the court may enter such orders as are necessary to prevent dissipation or diversion of the assets. An appellant whose bond has been reduced pursuant to subsection 1 of this section shall:
Terms Used In Missouri Laws 512.085
- Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
- Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
- Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
- Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
- 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.
- Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
- Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
- State: when applied to any of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" includes such district and territories. See Missouri Laws 1.020
(1) Provide to the court and appellee the most recent statement of assets and liabilities of the appellant that is filed with any federal, state, or foreign regulatory agency;
(2) Provide to the court and appellee on a quarterly basis any subsequent updated statement of assets and liabilities that is filed with any federal, state, or foreign regulatory agency; and
(3) Agree that it will not dissipate or divert assets outside the ordinary course of its business for the purpose of avoiding ultimate payment of the judgment.
3. The provisions of this section shall apply to all cases pending on or after August 28, 2003.