SB158 Summary

• Amends Section 12-21-160 of the Code of Alabama to expand the Daubert Standard for expert testimony admissibility from scientific knowledge to include technical and other specialized knowledge.

• Removes specific references to "scientific theory, principle, methodology, or procedure" from expert testimony requirements and applies the same admissibility standards to all scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge.

• Establishes three conditions for expert testimony admissibility: testimony based on sufficient facts or data, testimony as product of reliable principles and methods, and witness reliable application of principles and methods to case facts.

• Creates new Section 12-21-160.1 with prospective operation applying to civil state court actions commenced on or after January 1, 2017, and criminal non-juvenile felony proceedings where defendants were arrested on or after January 1, 2017; excludes domestic relations, child support, juvenile, and probate cases.

• Preserves all provisions of the Alabama Medical Liability Act of 1987 and 1996, and establishes that bill provisions supersede conflicting Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, and Evidence including Rule 702.