Chapter 895

895.57(4)(a)1. 1. Any fence enumerated under s. 90.02.

895.57(4)(a)2. 2. A theft alarm signal device, a burglar alarm or any other security alarm system or device.

895.57(4)(a)3. 3. A dog.

895.57(4)(b) (b) Subject to par. (d), an owner or custodian of a confined animal is immune from civil liability for any damages to a person who suffers the damages while violating or attempting to violate s. 943.75 (2) or (2m).

895.57(4)(c) (c) An owner or custodian of an animal that is released in violation of s. 943.75 (2) or (2m) is immune from liability for any damages caused by that released animal.

895.57(4)(d) (d) The immunity provided to an owner or custodian of a confined animal under par. (b) does not apply if the injury was caused by a security device that is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm, as defined in s. 939.22 (14).

895.57 History History: 1991 a. 20, 269; 1993 a. 27; 1995 a. 79; 1997 a. 27, 192, 248; 1999 a. 45; 2001 a. 56.

895.58 895.58 Liability exemption; use of special waste under public works contracts.

895.58(1) (1) In this section:

895.58(1)(a) (a) “Department” means the department of natural resources.

895.58(1)(b) (b) “Local governmental unit” means a political subdivision of this state, a special purpose district in this state, an agency or corporation of such a political subdivision or special purpose district, or a combination or subunit of any of the foregoing.

895.58(1)(c) (c) “Public works project” means any work done under contract to a state agency or local governmental unit.

895.58(1)(cr) (cr) “Solid waste” has the meaning given in s. 289.01 (33).

895.58(1)(d) (d) “Special waste” means any type of solid waste for which the department has granted a waiver or an exemption under s. 289.43 (3), (4), (7), or (8) or that is exempt by rule promulgated under s. 289.05 (4).

895.58(2) (2) The department may characterize a special waste as suitable for beneficial use in public works projects. The department shall compile and maintain a list of special wastes that are suitable for use in specified types of public works projects in a format readily available to the general public and only those special wastes may be required by contracting agencies to be used in a public works project. The list may include conditions under which the special waste may be used in the public works project in order for subs. (3) and (4) to be applicable. The list under this subsection is not a rule under s. 227.01 (13).

895.58(3) (3) Special waste, when used in a public works project, is exempt from regulation as solid waste under ch. 289 if all of the applicable conditions included in the list compiled under sub. (2) are met.

895.58(4) (4) A person is immune from liability for the use of special waste on a public works project or for damages resulting from the person’s actions or omissions relating to the use of the special waste on a public works project if all of the following apply:

895.58(4)(a) (a) The acts or omissions by the person occurred while performing work under a contract for a public works project including acts or omissions by any person who has a direct contractual relationship with the prime contractor, as defined in s. 779.01 (2) (d), under a contract for a public works project to perform labor or furnish materials.

895.58(4)(b) (b) The acts or omissions involving the special wastes were required or permitted in a contract for a public works project and the acts or omissions conformed to the provisions of the contract.

895.58(5) (5) Subsection (4) does not apply to any person to whom either of the following applies:

895.58(5)(a) (a) The person’s act or omission involved reckless, wanton or intentional misconduct.

895.58(5)(b) (b) The person’s act or omission resulted in injury or death to an individual.

895.58 History History: 1999 a. 9, 185; 2003 a. 88; 2005 a. 253.

895.61 895.61 Asbestos successor corporation; limitation on liability.

895.61(1) (1) Definitions. In this section:

895.61(1)(a) (a) “Asbestos claim” means a claim for damages, losses, indemnification, contribution, or other relief arising out of or related in any way to asbestos, including all of the following:

895.61(1)(a)1. 1. A claim related to the health effects of exposure to asbestos, including a claim related to any of the following:

895.61(1)(a)1.a. a. Personal injury or death.

895.61(1)(a)1.b. b. Mental or emotional injury.

895.61(1)(a)1.c. c. Increased risk of disease or other injury.

895.61(1)(a)1.d. d. Costs of medical monitoring or surveillance.

895.61(1)(a)2. 2. A claim made by or on behalf of any person exposed to asbestos, or by a spouse, parent, child, or other relative of the person.

895.61(1)(a)3. 3. A claim related to the installation, presence, or removal of asbestos.

895.61(1)(b) (b) “Corporation” means a domestic corporation for profit organized under the laws of this state or a foreign corporation for profit organized under laws other than the laws of this state.

895.61(1)(c) (c)

895.61(1)(c)1. 1. “Successor asbestos-related liability” means any liability that is related to an asbestos claim and that was assumed or incurred by a corporation as a result of or in connection with any of the following:

895.61(1)(c)1.a. a. A merger or consolidation with a transferor.

895.61(1)(c)1.b. b. The plan of merger or consolidation with a transferor related to the merger or consolidation with or into another corporation.

895.61(1)(c)1.c. c. An asbestos claim based on the exercise of control or ownership of stock or a corporation before the merger or consolidation with a transferor.

895.61(1)(c)2. 2. “Successor asbestos-related liability” includes liability that, after the time of the merger or consolidation with a transferor for which the fair market value of the total gross assets of the successor corporation was determined under sub. (4), was paid, discharged, or committed to be paid or discharged by or on behalf of the corporation, successor corporation, or transferor in connection with a settlement, judgment, or discharge in this state or in another jurisdiction.

895.61(1)(d) (d) “Successor corporation” means a corporation that has assumed or incurred successor asbestos-related liabilities before January 1, 1972, or that is any of that successor corporation’s successors.

895.61(1)(e) (e) “Total gross assets” includes intangible assets.

895.61(1)(f) (f) “Transferor” means a corporation from which a successor asbestos-related liability is or was assumed or incurred.

895.61(2) (2) Applicability.

895.61(2)(a) (a) The limitations in sub. (3) apply to any successor corporation, except as provided in par. (b).

895.61(2)(b) (b) The limitations in sub. (3) do not apply to any of the following:

895.61(2)(b)1. 1. Worker’s compensation benefits paid under ch. 102 or a comparable worker’s compensation law of another jurisdiction.

895.61(2)(b)2. 2. Any claim against a successor corporation that does not constitute a successor asbestos-related liability.

895.61(2)(b)3. 3. Any obligation under 29 USC 151, et seq., or under any collective bargaining agreement.

895.61(2)(b)4. 4. A successor corporation that, after a merger or consolidation with a transferor, continued in the business of mining asbestos, selling or distributing asbestos fibers, or manufacturing, distributing, removing, or installing asbestos-containing products that were the same or substantially the same as those products that were previously manufactured, distributed, removed, or installed by the transferor.

895.61(3) (3) Measure of liability.

895.61(3)(a) (a) Except as provided in par. (b), the cumulative successor asbestos-related liabilities of a successor corporation are limited to the fair market value of the total gross assets of the transferor determined as of the time of the merger or consolidation with the successor corporation. Subject to par. (b), the successor corporation does not have responsibility for any successor asbestos-related liabilities in excess of this limitation.

895.61(3)(b) (b) If the transferor to the successor corporation had assumed or incurred successor asbestos-related liability in connection with a prior merger or consolidation with a prior transferor, then the fair market value of the total assets of the prior transferor determined as of the time of the earlier merger or consolidation is substituted for the limitation under par. (a) for purposes of determining the limitation on liability of the successor corporation.

895.61(4) (4) Establishing the fair market value of total gross assets.

895.61(4)(a) (a) A successor corporation may establish the fair market value of total gross assets for purposes of the limitations under sub. (3) by any reasonable method, including any of the following:

895.61(4)(a)1. 1. By reference to the going concern value of the assets.

895.61(4)(a)2. 2. By reference to the purchase price attributable to or paid for the assets in an arms-length transaction.

895.61(4)(a)3. 3. In the absence of other readily available information from which the fair market value can be determined, by reference to the value of the assets recorded on a balance sheet.

895.61(4)(b) (b) To the extent that total gross assets include liability insurance that was issued to the transferor whose assets are being valued under this subsection, the applicability, terms, conditions, and limits of the insurance are not affected by this section. This section does not affect the rights and obligations of an insurer, transferor, or successor corporation under any insurance contract or related agreement, including all of the following:

895.61(4)(b)1. 1. A preenactment settlement resolving a coverage-related dispute.

895.61(4)(b)2. 2. The right of an insurer to seek payment for applicable deductibles, retrospective premiums, or self-insured retentions.

895.61(4)(b)3. 3. The right of an insurer to seek contribution from a successor corporation for an uninsured or self-insured period or for a period when insurance is uncollectible or unavailable.

895.61(4)(c) (c) Subject to par. (b), to the extent that total gross assets include any liability insurance, a settlement of a dispute concerning the liability insurance coverage entered into by the transferor or successor corporation with the insurer of the transferor before August 1, 2009, shall be determinative of the total coverage of the liability insurance for inclusion in the calculation of the transferor’s total gross assets.

895.61(5) (5) Adjustment of fair market value.

895.61(5)(a) (a) Except as provided in pars. (b) to (d), the fair market value of the total gross assets at the time of the merger or consolidation with the transferor shall increase annually at a rate equal to the sum of the following:

895.61(5)(a)1. 1. The weekly prime rate for the first week of each calendar year since the merger or consolidation, as reported by the federal reserve board in federal reserve statistical release H. 15.

895.61(5)(a)2. 2. One percent.

895.61(5)(b) (b) The rate under par. (a) may not be compounded.

895.61(5)(c) (c) The adjustment of the fair market value of the total gross assets shall continue as provided in par. (a) until the date that the adjusted fair market value of the total gross assets is first exceeded by the cumulative amounts of successor asbestos-related liabilities paid or committed to be paid by or on behalf of the successor corporation or a predecessor of the successor corporation or by or on behalf of a transferor after the time of the merger or consolidation for which the fair market value of the total gross assets is determined.

895.61(5)(d) (d) No adjustment of the fair market value of total gross assets may be applied to any liability insurance that is included in the definition of total gross assets under sub. (4) (b).

895.61(6) (6) Liberal construction intended. This section shall be liberally construed to effect its purposes with regard to successor corporations.

895.61 History History: 2009 a. 28; 2013 a. 173 s. 33.

895.62 895.62 Use of force in response to unlawful and forcible entry into a dwelling, motor vehicle, or place of business; civil liability immunity.

895.62(1) (1) In this section:

895.62(1)(a) (a) “Actor” means a person who uses force that is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm to another person.

895.62(1)(b) (b) “Dwelling” has the meaning given in s. 895.07 (1) (h).

895.62(1)(c) (c) “Place of business” means a business that the actor owns or operates.

895.62(2) (2) Except as provided in sub. (4), an actor is immune from civil liability arising out of his or her use of force that is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm if the actor reasonably believed that the force was necessary to prevent imminent death or bodily harm to himself or herself or to another person and either of the following applies:

895.62(2)(a) (a) The person against whom the force was used was in the process of unlawfully and forcibly entering the actor’s dwelling, motor vehicle, or place of business, the actor was on his or her property or present in the dwelling, motor vehicle, or place of business, and the actor knew or had reason to believe that an unlawful and forcible entry was occurring.

895.62(2)(b) (b) The person against whom the force was used was in the actor’s dwelling, motor vehicle, or place of business after unlawfully and forcibly entering it, the actor was present in the dwelling, motor vehicle, or place of business, and the actor knew or had reason to believe that the person had unlawfully and forcibly entered the dwelling, motor vehicle, or place of business.

895.62(3) (3) If sub. (2) (a) or (b) applies, the finder of fact may not consider whether the actor had an opportunity to flee or retreat before he or she used force and the actor is presumed to have reasonably believed that the force was necessary to prevent imminent death or bodily harm to himself or herself or to another person.

895.62(4) (4) The presumption described in sub. (3) does not apply if any of the following are true:

895.62(4)(a) (a) The actor was engaged in a criminal activity or was using his or her dwelling, motor vehicle, or place of business to further a criminal activity at the time he or she used the force described in sub. (2).

895.62(4)(b) (b) The person against whom the force was used was a public safety worker, as defined in s. 941.375 (1) (b), who entered or attempted to enter the actor’s dwelling, motor vehicle, or place of business in the performance of his or her official duties. This paragraph applies only if at least one of the following applies:

895.62(4)(b)1. 1. The public safety worker identified himself or herself to the actor before the force described in sub. (2) was used by the actor.

895.62(4)(b)2. 2. The actor knew or reasonably should have known that the person entering or attempting to enter his or her dwelling, motor vehicle, or place of business was a public safety worker.

895.62(5) (5) In any civil action, if a court finds that a person is immune from civil liability under sub. (2), the court shall award the person reasonable attorney fees, costs, compensation for loss of income, and other costs of the litigation reasonably incurred by the person.

895.62(6) (6) Nothing in this section may be construed to limit or impair any defense to civil or criminal liability otherwise available.

895.62 History History: 2011 a. 94.