Uniform Apportionment of Tort Responsibility Act
Encyclopedia
The Uniform Apportionment of Tort Responsibility Act (UATRA), and its periodic revisions, is one of the Uniform Act
s drafted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws
(NCCUSL) with the intention of harmonizing state law
s in force in the states
.
as a way to apportion liability
in negligence
cases. The UATRA was designed to overcome the low popularity of the Uniform Comparative Fault Act by modifying the usage of joint and several liability
among multiple tortfeasors.
Uniform Act
In the United States, a Uniform Act is a proposed state law drafted by the U.S. Uniform Law Commission and approved by its sponsor, the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws ....
s drafted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws
National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws
The National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws is a non-profit, unincorporated association commonly referred to as the U.S. Uniform Law Commission. It consists of commissioners appointed by each state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the United States...
(NCCUSL) with the intention of harmonizing state law
State law
In the United States, state law is the law of each separate U.S. state, as passed by the state legislature and adjudicated by state courts. It exists in parallel, and sometimes in conflict with, United States federal law. These disputes are often resolved by the federal courts.-See also:*List of U.S...
s in force in the states
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
.
Purpose
The UATRA is meant to be a successor to the Uniform Comparative Fault ActUniform Comparative Fault Act
The Uniform Comparative Fault Act , and its periodic revisions, is one of the Uniform Acts drafted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws with the intention of harmonizing state laws in force in the states....
as a way to apportion liability
Legal liability
Legal liability is the legal bound obligation to pay debts.* In law a person is said to be legally liable when they are financially and legally responsible for something. Legal liability concerns both civil law and criminal law. See Strict liability. Under English law, with the passing of the Theft...
in negligence
Negligence
Negligence is a failure to exercise the care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in like circumstances. The area of tort law known as negligence involves harm caused by carelessness, not intentional harm.According to Jay M...
cases. The UATRA was designed to overcome the low popularity of the Uniform Comparative Fault Act by modifying the usage of joint and several liability
Joint and several liability
Where two or more persons are liable in respect of the same liability, in most common law legal systems they may either be:* jointly liable, or* severally liable, or* jointly and severally liable.-Joint liability:...
among multiple tortfeasors.