Contribution Among Tort-Feasors in Washington: The 1981 Tort Reform Act

Authors

Scott I. Anderson

Abstract

Contribution is the right of a tort-feasor who has paid an injured plaintiff to obtain partial reimbursement from others responsible for the injury. Until 1981 this right was not available to tort-feasors in Washington. With the 1981 Tort Reform Act, Washington joined forty-one other states in allowing contribution. This Comment analyzes the legislation creating and regulating contribution in Washington. It examines the nature and scope of the right to contribution and discusses the procedural aspects of the Act. The Comment closes with an analysis of the interaction of contribution rights and settlements, and concludes that the settlement provisions of the Act should be construed to maximize the recoveries by injured plaintiffs and to encourage settlements in tort suits.

First Page

479

Recommended Citation

Scott I. Anderson, Comment, Contribution Among Tort-Feasors in Washington: The 1981 Tort Reform Act, 57 Wash. L. Rev. 479 (1982).
Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/wlr/vol57/iss3/5