PCVA partner Darrell Cochran provided testimony at the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee Public Hearing on February 2, 2021, in support of House Bill 1341 that seeks to abolish the professional rescue doctrine. According to Cochran, the doctrine is a legal immunity that was developed by the court system to completely bar our first responders and public safety professionals from bringing claims against wrongdoers who harmed them in the line of duty. The trend across the country is to abolish or limit the doctrine because it treats first responders unequally and unfairly compared to the average citizen. In 1984, the Oregon Supreme Court abolished the doctrine, calling it inconsistent with modern tort law. Cochran testified that by abolishing the professional rescue doctrine, first responders and public safety professionals would be protected with the same rights as everyone else.
See the full hearing here.