FROM STAFF REPORTS

A pair of tort reform bills sponsored by an Alabaster state senator received final approval by the Alabama Legislature May 31, and are now pending Gov. Robert Bentley’s signature.

The bills were sponsored by Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, and will bring significant changes to the state’s civil court procedures.

If signed by the governor, Senate Bill 59 will decrease the statute of repose for filing a civil action against an architect, engineer or builder from 13 years to seven years. As a result anyone who wishes to file a civil suit against an architect, engineer or builder must do so within seven years of the completion of a project.

Senate Bill 207 would require judgments to carry a flat interest rate of 7.5 percent, unless the lawsuit is based on a contract action.

Through the bill, judgments handed down in court would only incur a 7.5 percent interest rate per year from the day of the cause of the suit.