S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 730 1997-1998 Regular Sessions I N S E N A T E January 14, 1997 ___________ Introduced by Sens. VOLKER, HOLLAND, MARCHI, PRESENT -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes AN ACT to amend the civil practice law and rules, in relation to product liability actions, compliance with governmental standards, limited liability of persons jointly liable, assumption of the risk, and breach of express warranty; and to repeal certain provisions of the civil practice law and rules relating to limited liability of persons jointly liable The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- ______________________________________________________________________ bly, do enact as follows: _________________________ 1 Section 1. The civil practice law and rules is amended by adding a new 2 article 14-B to read as follows: 3 ARTICLE 14-B ____________ 4 PRODUCT LIABILITY ACTIONS _________________________ 5 1414. Definitions. __________________ 6 1415. Standards of responsibility. __________________________________ 7 1416. Postmanufacture changes. ______________________________ 8 1417. Defense of modification or alteration. ____________________________________________ 9 1418. Defenses available to seller. ___________________________________ 10 1419. Defenses available in certain product liability actions. ______________________________________________________________ 11 1420. Actions based on failure to instruct. ___________________________________________ 12 1421. Actions based on defective design. ________________________________________ 13 1422. Actions based on breach of express warranty. __________________________________________________ 14 1423. Presumption regarding products in compliance with govern- ________________________________________________________________ 15 mental standards. _________________ 16 1424. Drugs regulated or approved by the food and drug adminis- ________________________________________________________________ 17 tration. ________ 18  1414. Definitions. In this chapter: _____________________________________ 19 (a) "Product liability action" means an action brought for or on ______________________________________________________________________ 20 account of personal injury or injury to property caused or resulting ________________________________________________________________________ 21 from the manufacture, sale, use, construction, design, formula, develop- ________________________________________________________________________ EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets _______ [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01201-01-7 S. 730 2 1 ment of standards, preparation, processing, assembly, testing, listing, ________________________________________________________________________ 2 certifying, warning, instructing, marketing, advertising, packaging or ________________________________________________________________________ 3 labeling of any product; whether such action is based on: (1) strict or ________________________________________________________________________ 4 absolute liability in tort; (2) negligence or gross negligence; (3) ________________________________________________________________________ 5 breach of express or implied warranty; (4) failure to discharge a duty ________________________________________________________________________ 6 to warn or instruct; or (5) any other theory that is the basis for an ________________________________________________________________________ 7 award for damages for personal injury or injury to property caused by a ________________________________________________________________________ 8 product. ________ 9 (b) "Product" means any object possessing intrinsic value which is ______________________________________________________________________ 10 capable of delivery either as an assembled whole or as a component part ________________________________________________________________________ 11 and is produced for introduction into trade or commerce; but such term ________________________________________________________________________ 12 does not include human tissue, blood and blood products, or organs. ___________________________________________________________________ 13 (c) "Drug" and "medical device" shall have the meanings defined in the ______________________________________________________________________ 14 federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C.  301 et seq. ____________________________________________________________ 15 (d) "Labeling" means the written, printed, or graphic matter upon the ______________________________________________________________________ 16 immediate product or any of its containers or wrappers, or other writ- ________________________________________________________________________ 17 ten, printed, or graphic matter accompanying such product, including any ________________________________________________________________________ 18 warnings or instructions. _________________________ 19 (e) "Manufacturer" means any person who is engaged in a business to ______________________________________________________________________ 20 design, produce, make, fabricate, construct, or remanufacture any prod- ________________________________________________________________________ 21 uct (or component part of a product). Any product seller who acts prima- ________________________________________________________________________ 22 rily as a wholesaler, distributor, or retailer of products may be a ________________________________________________________________________ 23 manufacturer with respect to a given product to the extent that such ________________________________________________________________________ 24 seller designs, produces, makes, fabricates, constructs, or remanufac- ________________________________________________________________________ 25 tures the product before its sale. __________________________________ 26 (f) "Feasible alternative design" means a design for which the techni- ______________________________________________________________________ 27 cal and scientific knowledge relating to its implementation and safety ________________________________________________________________________ 28 was, at the time the product left the control of the manufacturer, ________________________________________________________________________ 29 developed, available and capable of use in the manufacture of the prod- ________________________________________________________________________ 30 uct and economically practicable for use by a manufacturer. ___________________________________________________________ 31 (g) "Alteration or modification" means a material change in a product, ______________________________________________________________________ 32 which may include a change in the product design or formulation, or a ________________________________________________________________________ 33 change in or removal of warnings, instructions or safety devices that ________________________________________________________________________ 34 accompanied the product. ________________________ 35 (h) "Express warranty" means a specific representation of material ______________________________________________________________________ 36 fact about the safety of a product, but does not mean a general opinion ________________________________________________________________________ 37 about, or general praise of, a product. "Breach of express warranty" ________________________________________________________________________ 38 means the failure of a product to conform to an express warranty. _________________________________________________________________ 39 (i) "Unreasonably dangerous" means dangerous to an extent beyond that ______________________________________________________________________ 40 which would be contemplated by the ordinary user or consumer of the ________________________________________________________________________ 41 product with the ordinary knowledge common to the community as to the ________________________________________________________________________ 42 product's characteristics. __________________________ 43  1415. Standards of responsibility. A manufacturer or seller shall be ______________________________________________________________________ 44 liable in a product liability action only if: _____________________________________________ 45 (a) the product (1) was defective because it deviated in a material ______________________________________________________________________ 46 way from the manufacturers specifications, formulae, or performance ________________________________________________________________________ 47 standards, or from otherwise identical units manufactured to the same ________________________________________________________________________ 48 manufacturing specification or formulae, (2) was defective because it ________________________________________________________________________ 49 failed to contain adequate warnings or instructions, (3) was designed in ________________________________________________________________________ 50 a defective manner, (4) was fraudulently misrepresented by the manufac- ________________________________________________________________________ 51 turer or seller, and the purchaser of the product, or the person whose ________________________________________________________________________ 52 use of the product caused the injury, reasonably relied on the misrepre- ________________________________________________________________________ 53 sentation, or (5) breached an express warranty upon which the purchaser ________________________________________________________________________ 54 of the product, or the person whose use of the product caused the inju- ________________________________________________________________________ 55 ry, reasonably relied; ______________________ S. 730 3 1 (b) the defect, fraud or breach of express warranty described in ______________________________________________________________________ 2 subdivision (a) of this section proximately caused the harm; and ________________________________________________________________ 3 (c) the plaintiff must prove the elements of a cause of action set ______________________________________________________________________ 4 forth in subdivisions (a) and (b) of this section by a preponderance of ________________________________________________________________________ 5 the evidence. _____________ 6  1416. Postmanufacture changes. In a product liability action, ______________________________________________________________________ 7 evidence of measures taken by the manufacturer or seller after an event, ________________________________________________________________________ 8 which if taken previously would have made the event less likely to ________________________________________________________________________ 9 occur, is not admissible to prove negligence or culpable conduct or to ________________________________________________________________________ 10 prove a defect in the product. Evidence of subsequent measures may, ________________________________________________________________________ 11 however, be admissible when offered to impeach or as proof of ownership, ________________________________________________________________________ 12 control, or feasibility of precautionary measures, if such issues are ________________________________________________________________________ 13 controverted. _____________ 14  1417. Defense of modification or alteration. In any product liabil- ______________________________________________________________________ 15 ity action, the damages for which a manufacturer or seller is otherwise ________________________________________________________________________ 16 liable shall be reduced by the percentage of responsibility for the ________________________________________________________________________ 17 plaintiff's injury attributable to modification or alteration of a prod- ________________________________________________________________________ 18 uct if the manufacturer or seller establishes by a preponderance of the ________________________________________________________________________ 19 evidence that such percentage of the plaintiff's injury was proximately ________________________________________________________________________ 20 caused by (1) a modification or alteration of a product in violation of, ________________________________________________________________________ 21 or contrary to, the manufacturer's or seller's express specifications, ________________________________________________________________________ 22 warnings or instructions if the specifications, warnings or instructions ________________________________________________________________________ 23 were adequate, or (2) a modification or alteration of a product involv- ________________________________________________________________________ 24 ing a risk of harm which was known or should have been known by the ________________________________________________________________________ 25 ordinary person who uses or consumes the product with the knowledge ________________________________________________________________________ 26 common to the class of persons who used or would be reasonably antic- ________________________________________________________________________ 27 ipated to use the product. __________________________ 28  1418. Defenses available to seller. In any product liability action ______________________________________________________________________ 29 a party may assert as a defense in such action that he is not the ________________________________________________________________________ 30 manufacturer of the product in question and that such product was ________________________________________________________________________ 31 acquired and sold by him in a sealed container or that the product was ________________________________________________________________________ 32 acquired and sold by him under circumstances in which he was afforded no ________________________________________________________________________ 33 reasonable opportunity to inspect the product in such a manner which ________________________________________________________________________ 34 would have or should have, in the exercise of reasonable care, revealed ________________________________________________________________________ 35 the existence of the defective condition; provided, however, that the ________________________________________________________________________ 36 defense set forth herein will not be available if (1) the manufacturer ________________________________________________________________________ 37 is not subject to service of process under the laws of the state in ________________________________________________________________________ 38 which the plaintiff brings the action, or (2) the manufacturer has been ________________________________________________________________________ 39 judicially declared insolvent and is unable to pay its debts as they ________________________________________________________________________ 40 become due in the ordinary course of business, or (3) the court deter- ________________________________________________________________________ 41 mines that the plaintiff would be unable to enforce a judgment against ________________________________________________________________________ 42 the manufacturer. The provisions of this section shall not apply to ________________________________________________________________________ 43 actions based upon breach of express warranty, negligence or fraudulent ________________________________________________________________________ 44 misrepresentation of the seller. ________________________________ 45  1419. Defenses available in certain product liability actions. ______________________________________________________________________ 46 Except for product liability actions commenced pursuant to subdivision ________________________________________________________________________ 47 two of section two hundred fourteen-c of this chapter, a party may ________________________________________________________________________ 48 assert as a defense in a product liability action that he is the ________________________________________________________________________ 49 manufacturer or seller of the product in question but that ten years or ________________________________________________________________________ 50 more have elapsed since he had possession or control of such product. If ________________________________________________________________________ 51 a product has been modified or altered by, or with the express or ________________________________________________________________________ 52 implied consent of, or according to instructions or specifications ________________________________________________________________________ 53 provided by a party against whom the action is commenced, and where the ________________________________________________________________________ 54 injury is caused by such modification or alteration, the time periods ________________________________________________________________________ 55 referred to herein shall commence as to such party from the date the ________________________________________________________________________ 56 modification or alteration was completed. _________________________________________ S. 730 4 1  1420. Actions based on failure to instruct. (a) In any product ______________________________________________________________________ 2 liability action based upon a claimed failure to provide adequate spec- ________________________________________________________________________ 3 ifications, instructions or warnings, the manufacturer or seller shall ________________________________________________________________________ 4 be liable for failure to specify, instruct or warn, only upon the basis ________________________________________________________________________ 5 of negligence; provided, however, that in no way shall the manufacturer ________________________________________________________________________ 6 or seller be liable for failure to warn of a hazard which was either (1) ________________________________________________________________________ 7 unidentifiable by such defendant, unless the plaintiff proves by a ________________________________________________________________________ 8 preponderance of the evidence, in addition to other requirements under ________________________________________________________________________ 9 state or federal law, that after the time such hazard became known or ________________________________________________________________________ 10 reasonably should have become known, either to the defendant or general- ________________________________________________________________________ 11 ly to similar situated manufacturers or sellers of similar products, the ________________________________________________________________________ 12 defendant failed to make a reasonable effort to provide adequate warn- ________________________________________________________________________ 13 ings of such hazards under circumstances where such failure constituted ________________________________________________________________________ 14 a breach of a legal duty of care owed to the plaintiff; or (2) clear ________________________________________________________________________ 15 under all of the circumstances to users of ordinary skill and judgment ________________________________________________________________________ 16 who reasonably might have been expected to use, come into contact with ________________________________________________________________________ 17 or to be affected by the product or in the case of prescription ________________________________________________________________________ 18 products, practitioners of appropriate medical skill and judgment; or ________________________________________________________________________ 19 (3) a result of actions by the user of the product that would not be ________________________________________________________________________ 20 expected of a reasonably prudent person who is likely to use the product ________________________________________________________________________ 21 in the same or similar circumstances. _____________________________________ 22 (b) For purposes of paragraphs one and two of subdivision (a) of this ______________________________________________________________________ 23 section, evidence that a nonmanufacturing seller provided all pamphlets, ________________________________________________________________________ 24 booklets, labels, inserts or other written instructions or warnings ________________________________________________________________________ 25 received by such seller from the manufacturer shall give rise to a ________________________________________________________________________ 26 rebuttable presumption that at the time of sale, lease or delivery of ________________________________________________________________________ 27 the product, the nonmanufacturing seller did not know of any inadequacy ________________________________________________________________________ 28 in such written instructions or warnings, or was not aware of facts from ________________________________________________________________________ 29 which a reasonable person would infer such inadequacies. ________________________________________________________ 30 (c) In any product liability action based upon a claimed failure to ______________________________________________________________________ 31 provide adequate specifications, instructions or warnings, a manufactur- ________________________________________________________________________ 32 er or seller of an ethical drug or device shall not be liable for fail- ________________________________________________________________________ 33 ure to specify, instruct or warn of hazards associated with the product ________________________________________________________________________ 34 if the manufacturer or seller provides an otherwise adequate warning or ________________________________________________________________________ 35 instruction to the physician or other legally authorized person who ________________________________________________________________________ 36 prescribes or dispenses that ethical drug or device for the plaintiff, ________________________________________________________________________ 37 provided the federal food and drug administration has not required that ________________________________________________________________________ 38 the warning or instruction be given directly to the ultimate user of the ________________________________________________________________________ 39 product. ________ 40 (d) In any product liability action based upon a claimed failure to ______________________________________________________________________ 41 provide adequate specifications, instructions or warnings a manufacturer ________________________________________________________________________ 42 or seller shall not be liable for failure to instruct or to warn of ________________________________________________________________________ 43 hazards associated with a product, unless the plaintiff also proves by a ________________________________________________________________________ 44 preponderance of the evidence, in addition to other facts required to be ________________________________________________________________________ 45 proved under the laws of the state or the United States, including the ________________________________________________________________________ 46 provisions of this chapter, that the product was the immediate, physical ________________________________________________________________________ 47 and producing cause of the injury or damage of which the plaintiff ________________________________________________________________________ 48 complains and that, if adequate specifications, instructions and warn- ________________________________________________________________________ 49 ings had been supplied by the defendant, the user of the product, or any ________________________________________________________________________ 50 nonuser shown to have been in a position to respond to such information, ________________________________________________________________________ 51 would have responded by altering his conduct and thereby would have ________________________________________________________________________ 52 avoided or reduced the injury or damage of which the plaintiff ________________________________________________________________________ 53 complains. __________ 54  1421. Actions based on defective design. (a) In any product liabil- ______________________________________________________________________ 55 ity action based upon defective design, a manufacturer or seller shall ________________________________________________________________________ 56 not be liable unless the plaintiff proves by a preponderance of the ________________________________________________________________________ S. 730 5 1 evidence that, at the time the product left the control of the manufac- ________________________________________________________________________ 2 turer, there existed a feasible alternative design that would have ________________________________________________________________________ 3 prevented the harm without substantially impairing the usefulness or ________________________________________________________________________ 4 desirability of the product to users. _____________________________________ 5 (b) In any product liability action based upon defective design, a ______________________________________________________________________ 6 manufacturer or seller shall not be liable unless the plaintiff proves ________________________________________________________________________ 7 by a preponderance of the evidence that the product design was the imme- ________________________________________________________________________ 8 diate, physical and producing cause of the injury or damage of which the ________________________________________________________________________ 9 plaintiff complains, and that, if a feasible alternative design as ________________________________________________________________________ 10 provided in subdivision (a) of this section was marketed by the defend- ________________________________________________________________________ 11 ant, the user of the product would have responded by altering his ________________________________________________________________________ 12 conduct and thereby would have avoided or reduced the injury or damage ________________________________________________________________________ 13 of which the plaintiff complains. _________________________________ 14 (c) In any product liability action based upon defective design, a ______________________________________________________________________ 15 manufacturer or seller shall not be liable unless the plaintiff proves ________________________________________________________________________ 16 by a preponderance of the evidence that, at the time the product left ________________________________________________________________________ 17 the control of the manufacturer, the manufacturer knew or, in light of ________________________________________________________________________ 18 then existing scientific and technological knowledge, reasonably should ________________________________________________________________________ 19 have known of the danger that caused the plaintiff's harm. __________________________________________________________ 20 (d) In any product liability action based on defective design, a prod- ______________________________________________________________________ 21 uct shall not be found to contain a defect or be unreasonably dangerous ________________________________________________________________________ 22 for its intended use if the personal injury, property damage, or death ________________________________________________________________________ 23 for which recovery of damages is sought was caused by an inherent aspect ________________________________________________________________________ 24 of the product about which adequate specifications, instructions, or ________________________________________________________________________ 25 warnings are provided or which would be recognized as capable of causing ________________________________________________________________________ 26 harm by the ordinary person who uses or consumes the product with the ________________________________________________________________________ 27 ordinary knowledge common to the class of persons for whom the product ________________________________________________________________________ 28 is intended. ____________ 29 (e) In any product liability action based on defective design, a prod- ______________________________________________________________________ 30 uct shall not be found to contain a defect or be unreasonably dangerous ________________________________________________________________________ 31 for its intended use if the personal injury, property damage, or death ________________________________________________________________________ 32 for which recovery of damages is sought was caused by an unavoidably ________________________________________________________________________ 33 unsafe product, as defined in comment K to Section 402A of the Restate- ________________________________________________________________________ 34 ment (2d) of Torts, and specifications, warnings or instructions are ________________________________________________________________________ 35 provided to the extent required by this article. ________________________________________________ 36  1422. Actions based on breach of express warranty. In any product ______________________________________________________________________ 37 liability action based on breach of express warranty, a manufacturer or ________________________________________________________________________ 38 seller shall not be liable unless the plaintiff proves by a preponder- ________________________________________________________________________ 39 ance of the evidence that the purchaser of the product, or the person ________________________________________________________________________ 40 whose use of the product caused the injury, relied upon the warranty ________________________________________________________________________ 41 and that such reliance was reasonable under all of the circumstances. _____________________________________________________________________ 42  1423. Presumption regarding products in compliance with governmental ______________________________________________________________________ 43 standards. In a suit against a manufacturer alleging that a product ________________________________________________________________________ 44 caused the plaintiff harm, if the product alleged to have caused the ________________________________________________________________________ 45 harm was manufactured and labeled in relevant and material respects in ________________________________________________________________________ 46 accordance with standards, conditions, or specifications established, ________________________________________________________________________ 47 adopted or approved by a federal or state statute or by agency of the ________________________________________________________________________ 48 federal or state government responsible for the design, formulation, ________________________________________________________________________ 49 manufacturing, labeling, packaging, performance, or approval of the ________________________________________________________________________ 50 product, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that the product was ________________________________________________________________________ 51 reasonably safe in design, formulation, manufacturing, labeling, packag- ________________________________________________________________________ 52 ing, or performance unless that plaintiff proves by clear and convincing ________________________________________________________________________ 53 evidence that the government standards relevant to the harm alleged to ________________________________________________________________________ 54 have been suffered were inadequate to protect the class of persons of ________________________________________________________________________ 55 which plaintiff is a member from unreasonable risk of harm. ___________________________________________________________ S. 730 6 1  1424. Drugs regulated or approved by the food and drug adminis- ______________________________________________________________________ 2 tration. (a) In any product liability action, a manufacturer or seller ________________________________________________________________________ 3 of a drug or medical device shall not be subject to punitive damages if ________________________________________________________________________ 4 the drug or medical device that caused the plaintiff's harm was subject ________________________________________________________________________ 5 to pre-market approval or licensure by the federal food and drug admin- ________________________________________________________________________ 6 istration under the federal food, drug, and cosmetic act and was ________________________________________________________________________ 7 approved or licensed, or is generally recognized as safe and effective ________________________________________________________________________ 8 pursuant to conditions and applicable regulations, including packaging ________________________________________________________________________ 9 and labeling regulations, established by the food and drug adminis- ________________________________________________________________________ 10 tration. ________ 11 (b) The prohibition on the award of punitive damages provided in ______________________________________________________________________ 12 subdivision (a) of this section shall not apply where the manufacturer ________________________________________________________________________ 13 or seller knowingly withheld or misrepresented information required to ________________________________________________________________________ 14 be submitted to the food and drug administration and such information ________________________________________________________________________ 15 was material and relevant to the harm in question. __________________________________________________ 16  2. Sections 1600, 1602 and 1603 of the civil practice law and rules 17 are REPEALED. 18  3. Section 1601 of the civil practice law and rules, as added by 19 chapter 682 of the laws of 1986, subdivision 1 as amended by chapter 635 20 of the laws of 1996, is amended to read as follows: 21  1601. Limited liability of persons jointly liable. 1. Notwithstand- 22 ing any other provision of law, when a verdict or decision in an action 23 or claim for personal injury is determined in favor of a claimant in an 24 action involving two or more tortfeasors jointly liable or in a claim 25 against the state and the liability of a defendant is found to be fifty 26 percent or less of the total liability assigned to all persons liable, 27 the liability of such defendant to the claimant [for non-economic loss] 28 shall not exceed that defendant's equitable share determined in accord- 29 ance with the relative culpability of each person causing or contribut- 30 ing to the total liability [for non-economic loss]; provided, however 31 that the culpable conduct of any person not a party to the action shall 32 not be considered in determining any equitable share herein if the 33 claimant proves that with due diligence he or she was unable to obtain 34 jurisdiction over such person in said action [(or in a claim against the 35 state, in a court of this state)]; and further provided that the culpa- 36 ble conduct of any person shall not be considered in determining any 37 equitable share herein to the extent that action against such person is 38 barred because the claimant has not sustained a "grave injury" as 39 defined in section eleven of the workers' compensation law. 40 2. Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect or impair any 41 right of a tortfeasor under section 15-108 of the general obligations 42 law. 43  4. The civil practice law and rules is amended by adding a new arti- 44 cle 17 to read as follows: 45 ARTICLE 17 __________ 46 ASSUMPTION OF THE RISK ______________________ 47 1700. Short title. __________________ 48 1701. Definitions. __________________ 49 1702. Bar to liability. _______________________ 50 1703. Limitation of liability. ______________________________ 51 1704. Knowledge of warning. ___________________________ 52 1705. Severability clause. __________________________ 53  1700. Short title. This article shall be known and may be cited as ______________________________________________________________________ 54 "the assumption of the risk act". _________________________________ S. 730 7 1  1701. Definitions. The following words, as used in this article, ______________________________________________________________________ 2 shall have the meanings set forth below, unless the context clearly ________________________________________________________________________ 3 requires otherwise: ___________________ 4 (a) "Fault" means any theory under which tort liability may be recog- ______________________________________________________________________ 5 nized, including, but not limited to, negligence, malpractice, strict ________________________________________________________________________ 6 liability, absolute liability, and failure to provide adequate warning. _______________________________________________________________________ 7 (b) "Person" means any individual, corporation, company, association, ______________________________________________________________________ 8 firm, partnership, society, joint stock company, or any other entity, ________________________________________________________________________ 9 including any governmental entity or unincorporated association of ________________________________________________________________________ 10 persons. ________ 11  1702. Bar to liability. Assumption of the risk shall operate as a ______________________________________________________________________ 12 complete bar to an action when the injured person: __________________________________________________ 13 (a) expressly, in writing or orally, voluntarily assumed the risk of ______________________________________________________________________ 14 injury; or __________ 15 (b) has knowledge of the risk, as proven by actions, statements, or ______________________________________________________________________ 16 direct testimony, yet voluntarily undertook or continued the activity ________________________________________________________________________ 17 that constituted exposure to the risk. ______________________________________ 18  1703. Limitation of liability. In cases not governed by section ______________________________________________________________________ 19 seventeen hundred two of this article, but where reasonably prudent ________________________________________________________________________ 20 persons should have realized the risk before exposing themselves to it, ________________________________________________________________________ 21 assumption of the risk shall be considered as a factor in apportioning ________________________________________________________________________ 22 fault. ______ 23  1704. Knowledge of warning. In all cases involving products, struc- ______________________________________________________________________ 24 tures, or services, where a warning has been provided to the plaintiff, ________________________________________________________________________ 25 directly or indirectly, concerning the product, structure, or service, ________________________________________________________________________ 26 including any warning required or approved by a federal or state govern- ________________________________________________________________________ 27 ment body or regulatory agency, proof of such provision of the warning ________________________________________________________________________ 28 will create a rebuttable presumption that the plaintiff knew of the ________________________________________________________________________ 29 warning's content. __________________ 30  1705. Severability clause. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, ______________________________________________________________________ 31 subdivision, section, rule or part of this article shall be adjudged by ________________________________________________________________________ 32 any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall ________________________________________________________________________ 33 not affect, impair or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be ________________________________________________________________________ 34 confined in its operation to the clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivi- ________________________________________________________________________ 35 sion, section, rule or part thereof directly involved in the controversy ________________________________________________________________________ 36 in which such judgment shall have been rendered. ________________________________________________ 37  5. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to all 38 claims filed on or after its effective date.