Uniform Contribution among Tort-Feasors Act

This act governs how responsibility is shared among two or more parties whose conduct combines to cause the same injury or damage. It establishes a right of contribution, subject to stated exceptions, allowing a tort-feasor who has paid more than a proportionate share of a common liability to recover the excess from the others, and it sets out how each party's share is determined along with the procedure and time limits for enforcing a contribution claim. It also fixes the effect that a release or covenant not to sue given to one tort-feasor has on the liability of the rest, and ties the allocation of responsibility to comparative fault by directing the trier of fact to apportion fault, identifying the circumstances in which joint and several liability still applies, and leaving vicarious liability and respondeat superior unaffected.

Editorial summary generated from the text of this act. It is not part of the statute — read the sections below for the operative language.