Title 42 — The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73
§14504 Liability for noneconomic loss
Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 139— - VOLUNTEER PROTECTION › § 14504
Summary
When a volunteer is sued for something they did while volunteering for a nonprofit or government, the amount they must pay for noneconomic loss depends on how much they were responsible for the harm. Each volunteer defendant only pays the share that matches their percentage of responsibility, and the court will enter a separate judgment for each volunteer for that amount. The judge or jury decides each volunteer’s percentage of responsibility.
Full Legal Text
Title 42, §14504
The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)In any civil action against a volunteer, based on an action of a volunteer acting within the scope of the volunteer’s responsibilities to a nonprofit organization or governmental entity, the liability of the volunteer for noneconomic loss shall be determined in accordance with subsection (b).
(b)(1)Each defendant who is a volunteer, shall be liable only for the amount of noneconomic loss allocated to that defendant in direct proportion to the percentage of responsibility of that defendant (determined in accordance with paragraph (2)) for the harm to the claimant with respect to which that defendant is liable. The court shall render a separate judgment against each defendant in an amount determined pursuant to the preceding sentence.
(2)For purposes of determining the amount of noneconomic loss allocated to a defendant who is a volunteer under this section, the trier of fact shall determine the percentage of responsibility of that defendant for the claimant’s harm.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
42 U.S.C. § 14504
Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73