Wisconsin Code § 895.51

Civil liability exemption: food or emergency household products; emergency medical supplies; donation, sale, or distribution
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(1) In this section:
(b) “Charitable organization” means an organization the contributions to which are deductible by corporations in computing
net income under s. 71.26 (2).
(bd) “Cost of production” means the cost of inputs, wages, operating the manufacturing facility, and transporting the product.
(bg) “Emergency medical supplies” means any medical
equipment or supplies necessary to limit the spread of, or provide
treatment for, a disease associated with the public health emergency related to the 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic, including
life support devices, personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies, and any other items determined to be necessary by the secretary of health services.
(c) “Food distribution service” means a program of a private
nonprofit organization that provides food products directly to individuals with low incomes or that collects food products for and
distributes food products to persons who provide the food products directly to individuals with low incomes.
(d) “Food products” has the meaning specified in s. 93.01 (6).
(dm) “Governmental unit” means the United States; the state;
any county, city, village, or town; any political subdivision, department, division, board, or agency of the United States, the
state, or any county, city, village, or town; or any federally recognized American Indian tribe or band in this state or an agency of
the tribe or band.
(dp) “Public health emergency related to the 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic” means the period covered by the public health
emergency declared under 42 USC 247d by the secretary of the
federal department of health and human services on January 31,
2020, in response to the 2019 novel coronavirus or the national
emergency declared by the U.S. president under 50 USC 1621 on
March 13, 2020, in response to the 2019 novel coronavirus.
(dr) “Qualified emergency household products” includes
flashlights, generators, blankets, personal care products, household cleaning products, and emergency supplies that meet the
standards for safety and quality established by federal or state
law, regulation, or rule, that are not defective, and that have not
been recalled by the consumer products safety commission.
(e) “Qualified food” means food products that meet the standards of quality established by state law or rule or federal law or
regulations, including food products that are not readily marketable due to appearance, age, freshness, grade, size, surplusage
or other condition, except that “qualified food” does not include
canned food products that are leaking, swollen, dented on a seam
or not airtight.
(2) Any person engaged in the processing, distribution, or
sale of food products, for profit or not for profit, who donates or
sells, at a price not to exceed overhead and transportation costs,
qualified food to a charitable organization, food distribution service, or governmental unit is immune from civil liability for the
death of or injury to an individual caused by the qualified food
donated or sold by the person.
(2m) Any person engaged in the manufacturing, distribution,

or sale of qualified emergency household products, for profit or
not for profit, who donates or sells, at a price not to exceed overhead and transportation costs, qualified emergency household
products to a charitable organization or governmental unit in response to a state of emergency declared under s. 323.10 or 323.11
is immune from civil liability for the death of or injury to an individual caused by the qualified emergency household product donated or sold by the person.
(2r) Any person engaged in the manufacturing, distribution,
or sale of emergency medical supplies, who donates or sells, at a
price not to exceed the cost of production, emergency medical
supplies to a charitable organization or governmental unit to respond to the public health emergency related to the 2019 novel
coronavirus pandemic is immune from civil liability for the death
of or injury to an individual caused by the emergency medical
supplies donated or sold by the person.
(3) Any charitable organization or food distribution service
which distributes free of charge qualified food to any person is
immune from civil liability for the death of or injury to an individual caused by the qualified food distributed by the charitable
organization or food distribution service.
(3m) Any charitable organization that distributes free of
charge qualified emergency household products received under
sub. (2m) is immune from civil liability for the death of or injury
to an individual caused by the qualified emergency household
product distributed by the charitable organization.
(3r) Any charitable organization that distributes free of
charge emergency medical supplies received under sub. (2r) is
immune from civil liability for the death of or injury to an individual caused by the emergency medical supplies distributed by
the charitable organization.
(4) This section does not apply if the death or injury was
caused by willful or wanton acts or omissions.

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