Bill > SB918

This bill modifies the legal standards for admitting expert testimony in Missouri courts, creating different rules for specific types of cases like family, juvenile, and probate proceedings versus other civil and criminal actions. For the first category of cases (family, juvenile, probate), experts can provide testimony if their specialized knowledge helps understand evidence, and their opinions can address ultimate issues. For all other actions, the bill introduces a "more likely than not" standard for expert testimony, requiring that the expert's testimony be based on reliable principles, methods, and a reliable application to the specific case facts. The bill clarifies that experts can base opinions on facts they've been made aware of or observed, even if those underlying facts would normally be inadmissible, provided the probative value outweighs potential prejudice. Notably, in criminal cases, experts are prohibited from directly stating whether a defendant had a specific mental state that is an element of the crime, as that determination remains solely the responsibility of the fact-finder. The bill also allows experts to provide opinions and their reasoning without first detailing all underlying facts, though they may be required to disclose those facts if cross-examined.

Justice

https://www.senate.mo.gov/26info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=121