Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse of Central Texas

Amarillo Globe-News
July 29, 2007

(Re: July 18 guest column, " 'Tort reform' propaganda exaggerates 'lawsuit abuse,' " by James Harrington.)

False statements and twisted statistics don't change the fact that Texans overwhelmingly support efforts to inject a measure of common sense and fairness into Texas courts. At the root of Harrington's complaint is that reforms in Texas have dried up some of the obscene profits once expected here by personal injury trial lawyers.

Those of us who have long paid the price for lawsuit abuse should be grateful, because when it comes to lawsuit abuse, we all pay and we all lose.

Civil justice reforms in Texas have eliminated some of the baseless clutter that delayed or diluted justice for the truly injured. With medical liability reforms, the number of physicians practicing in Texas has increased - especially in high-risk specialties and under-served areas. That's good for Texas families.

Texas is home to judicial hellholes, jurisdictions where uneven justice and questionable legal rulings are commonplace. We made headlines when a Corpus Christi judge dismissed almost 10,000 silicosis cases, saying the medical diagnoses that bolstered the litigation were "manufactured for money."

Lawsuit abuse is alive and well in Texas.

Kirsten Voinis
Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse of Central Texas Austin