Warren Dee Welliver (February 24, 1920 – October 29, 2007) was judge on the Supreme Court of Missouri from 1979 until 1989.
As a judge, he established Comparative Negligence as a defense in civil tort lawsuits, overruling the older Contributory Negligence standard.
[3] Judge Welliver was also famously passed up for Chief Justice; traditionally the judges take turns in the two-year job but Welliver was bypassed for the position.
[3] Judge Welliver was also known for his strong stances in favor of protecting a criminal defendant's rights at trial,[4] and his opposition to the Missouri Plan.
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