Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse of Central Texas

The Truth About Tort Reform

If the president is serious about bipartisan health-care reform, he must include real lawsuit-abuse reform that produces savings for the American people.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, 40 percent of medical malpractice suits filed in the U.S. are “without merit.” Yet despite the frivolous nature of many of these suits, juries often award millions of dollars to plaintiffs — and their trial lawyers. These predatory suits amount to legalized extortion and require doctors to purchase malpractice insurance at great expense. A Department of Health and Human Services study found that unlimited excessive damages add between $70 billion and $126 billion annually to health-care costs.

http://healthcare.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YzIxNzUzYjNhZmJhMzUzMDE0YzI4NzQzNWJlNmE2ZGM=

Frivolous Lawsuits

Frivolous lawsuits affect all of us. Frivolous lawsuits clog the court systems, taking time away from the "real" cases. While everyone does have the right to sue anyone else, some people take this to extremes, bringing about frivolous lawsuits in hopes of a big lawsuit payday. Frivolous lawsuits are a part of the much more complex arena of lawsuit abuse where tort reform may be needed for rational justice to take place.

http://www.personal-injury-info.net/frivolous-lawsuits.htm

Houston lawyer staking claim in Toyota litigation

Standing at the bottom of the sunny Houston courthouse steps last week, lawyer Mark Lanier called a press conference largely to mark his legal turf and try for a stake in what's expected to be multibillion-dollar litigation against Toyota.

In the weeks since the Japanese car maker's January recall of millions of cars to fix a mechanical problem with the accelerators, lawyers in Texas and around the country have smelled Toyota's corporate blood in the water and mustered.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6902059.html

Junk Science Begets Junk Lawsuits

It's said that the most dangerous place in the world is between a politician and a camera. The same could be said about getting between trial lawyers and the courtroom.

The rush to the courts is under way, triggered by two recent rulings allowing global warming claims to go forward against energy defendants for their emissions of carbon dioxide. A third such ruling may be coming soon, even though it becomes more obvious every day that man-made global warming is a myth and such lawsuits are frivolous.

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=522957

Texas Sized Tort Reform

Advocates have written open letters to politicians describing it as “the least-expensive and best-known way to lower healthcare costs.” Detractors have blogged that it has saved almost no money and instead “gutted patient rights.” Among the recent templates for whether and how to proceed on the contentious issue of tort reform, Texas has become a prime example of either the wisdom or the folly of capping medical liability payouts, depending on your vantage point.

http://www.the-hospitalist.org/details/article/574165/TexasSized_Tort_Reform.html

Behind the Rise and Fall of a Class-Action King

Peter J. Henning follows issues related to white-collar crime for DealBook’s White Collar Watch.

William S. Lerach is among the most famous lawyers of the late 20th century, reviled by scores of corporate executives and their attorneys while celebrated by the trial bar and individual investors. Mr. Lerach earned millions of dollars in fees from class-action cases, making more than most lawyers in traditional law firms could ever dream about.

http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/01/behind-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-class-action-king/

From Bully to Felon

In 1972, a young lawyer co-authored an article for the University of Pittsburgh Law Review. He targeted class-action securities lawsuits, calling them "procedural monstrosities." They were legal extortion, he said, in which plaintiffs simply use "allegations as a bargaining weapon to be disposed of when an appropriate premium has been extracted from the defendant."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704625004575089751518568796.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

I'm suing You, And You, And You...

We’ve all heard enough talk about Toyota’s recalls and quality control troubles of late, and I’ll do my best to not repeat what’s already been said about the company. Frankly, I’ve grown tired of it, and I’m sure some of you have as well.

http://www.impomag.com/scripts/ShowPR.asp?RID=13297&CommonCount=0

Toyota Situation Provides Great Opportunity for America to Examine the Frivolous Lawsuit Epidemic

AUTO

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2010/02/06/464779.html

Attorney Ronald Rodriguez sponsors ethics seminar on the scourge of barratry Running in Reverse: Pursuing Barratry Claims

The scourge of barratry in our legal system is touching many lives in a negative way and adversely affecting many lawyer’s careers and earnings. Barratry is what is referred to as the process by which disputes and quarrels are created in order drum up business. The Texas Penal Code states that it is a third degree felony to solicit professional “employment either in person or by telephone for himself or another” by lawyers or their representatives. But barratry is still rampant in this state on the part of some unscrupulous lawyers and their “runners.”

http://laredosnews.com/info.php?id=158

Lawyer: BP case attorney owes $50,000 to hotel

An attorney who earned “eight-figure” settlements for his clients in the 2005 BP refinery explosion still owes the San Luis Resort nearly $50,000, according to an attorney and court documents.

http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=a00a73a7685512f6

Odor in the Court

Forget all the rhetoric about the Jacksonian premise of a popularly elected judiciary. The public wants cash out of the courtroom — and that could mean pushing elections out, too.

http://www.texastribune.org/stories/2010/feb/02/keeping-appearances/

Appeals court candidates tout experience

Two Austin attorneys touting their experience and grasp of legal nuance are vying for a spot on the 3rd Court of Appeals, which covers a 24-county swath of Central and West Texas and hears some of the state's most complex cases.

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/appeals-court-candidates-tout-experience-207406.html

Judge throws out billion-dollar suit against LCRA

The Lower Colorado River Authority scored a major victory Monday over the San Antonio Water System when a state district judge threw out a lawsuit against the river authority.

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/judge-throws-out-billion-dollar-suit-against-lcra-207271.html

Time to consider judicial reform

Bexar County's March primary elections will feature seven local contested judicial contests. When the general election rolls around in November, 17 countywide judicial elections will be on the ballot.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/Time_to_consider_judicial_reform.html

So, what say you - is a larger per diem the best way to ensure citizens answer the call of jury duty? What else could be done to make the experience more palatable for potential jurors?

So, what say you - is a larger per diem the best way to ensure citizens answer the call of jury duty? What else could be done to make the experience more palatable for potential jurors?

http://mddailyrecord.com/ontherecord/

Lawsuit abuse obstructs job creation

While American businesses and families spent 2009 coping with the effects of a severe recession, the plaintiffs' bar was hard at work bringing a whole new round of outrageous lawsuits on behalf of clients hoping to get rich quick by winning the litigation lottery.

http://www.wvrecord.com/arguments/224240-their-view-lawsuit-abuse-obstructs-job-creation

High court urged to hear False Claims Act case

A leading conservative public interest law firm has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lower court decision that allows trial lawyers to use the federal False Claims Act as a tool for regulating the marketing activities of pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers.

http://www.setexasrecord.com/news/224074-high-court-urged-to-hear-false-claims-act-case

Trial bar seeks to expand liability, end arbitration clauses

The national trial lawyers group outlined its 2010 legislative agenda Monday, announcing that the group plans to take aim at mandatory arbitration clauses and push to expand civil liability, among other initiatives.

http://www.setexasrecord.com/news/224071-trial-bar-seeks-to-expand-liability-end-arbitration-clauses

Schwarzenegger faces 'uphill battle' getting tort reforms

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has made tort reform part of his five-point economic agenda for his final year in office, but it's unlikely the Republican governor will get the changes he seeks to the state's civil code, political and legal observers said Sunday.

http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/224925-schwarzenegger-faces-uphill-battle-getting-tort-reforms

Public Safety at Risk: Fear of Lawsuits Changes Common Sense Behavior

As cold weather’s grip begins to put much of our country into a deep freeze, I would like share a winter-related lawsuit story from my hometown in northern Michigan that I think you’ll find interesting…and disturbing.

http://www.bobdorigojones.com/2010/01/03/public-safety-at-risk-fear-of-lawsuits-changes-common-sense-behavior/

Top Five Most Ridiculous Lawsuits of 2009 Announced

The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) announced today the top five vote getters of its 1st Annual Most Ridiculous Lawsuit of the Year Poll. Nominees were drawn from the monthly Most Ridiculous Lawsuit poll winners, chosen by visitors to FacesofLawsuitAbuse.org, a public awareness campaign Web site that aims to show how abusive lawsuits affect small businesses and average families in very real ways.

http://www.instituteforlegalreform.com/component/ilr_media/30/pressrelease/2009/490.html

How Our Lawsuit-Happy Society Affects Charities, Part Two

In my last post, I revealed that a Florida soup kitchen could have served 40,000 meals to the needy with the money it spent defending itself against a misguided lawsuit that was eventually dismissed.   Unfortunately, the impact that lawsuit abuse has on charities and community organizations can be as devastating on humanitarian groups as it is on for-profit job providers.

http://www.bobdorigojones.com/2009/12/23/how-our-lawsuit-happy-society-affects-charities-part-two/

Making It Easier For Charities To Help The Poor

During the holiday season, I think we all listen a little more closely to the appeals from charities that fill the airwaves.  That why I’ve been using my last few weekly radio commentaries to reveal how lawsuit abuse has had a negative impact on so many humanitarian groups — even when they’ve done nothing wrong.

http://www.bobdorigojones.com/2009/12/18/making-it-easier-for-charities-to-help-the-poor/

Judicial Hellholes® 2009

The latest ranking of America's most unfair jurisdictions in which to be sued has been revealed in the American Tort Reform Foundation's Judicial Hellholes® 2009/2010 report. Read the full report (3 MB PDF) or start with the executive summary below.

http://www.atra.org/reports/hellholes/

Texas No Longer Magnet for Junk Lawsuits

It's good not to be considered a 'hell hole.'  

For the first time ever, 1200 WOAI news reports four counties in the Rio Grande Valley and three along the Texas Gulf Coast area have been removed from the list of so called 'judicial hell holes,' designated by the American Tort Reform Foundation as counties where greedy out-of-state lawyers could file junk lawsuits, in expectation of getting a huge jury verdict jackpot. 

Small Businesses Share Stories of Frivolous Lawsuits

Two small business owners and the founder of a nonprofit organization - all targets of abusive lawsuits - are speaking out about their legal ordeals at www.FacesOfLawsuitAbuse.org as part of a nationwide public awareness campaign launched today by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) that demonstrates how abusive lawsuits affect real people in very real ways.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/small-businesses-share-stories-of-frivolous-lawsuits-78979187.html

Whopper of a Lawsuit: Woman Wants Burger King to Pay for Text Messages

Who says teenage stalkers and demanding bosses send the most irksome text messages? Not Elizabeth Espinal.

The New Yorker recently sued Miami-Dade's mammoth supplier of most things fast and greasy, Burger King, claiming the company acted like an ex-boyfriend who couldn't take a hint: It repeatedly text-messaged her -- with spam ads -- although she told it to get lost.

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2009/12/whopper_of_a_suit_woman_wants.php

CBO Reaffirms Tort Reform Would Save $54 Billion Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/2009/12/cbo-reaffirms-tort-reform-woul.html#ixzz0ZJf03s6z

Some Democrats were not satisfied with a Congressional Budget Office finding that tort reform could cut the deficit by $54 billion — about 10 times more than previous estimates.

So they asked the CBO to explain why. And got the same answer in a letter sent today to Sen. Jay Rockefeller.

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/2009/12/cbo-reaffirms-tort-reform-woul.html

Bad Suits Need Labels

Most people assume when they order coffee it’s going to be served hot. That’s why people with brains were outraged in 1994, when a jury awarded a woman $2.86 million after she burned herself on hot coffee purchased from the fast-food purveyor.

http://cherokeescout.com/articles/2009/12/08/opinions/doc4b1eb97f7cc18206308796.txt

Terror by Trial Lawyer

If you think it's outrageous that Navy SEALs who helped capture one of Iraq's most wanted terrorists now face court-martial on charges they roughed him up, just wait. It may get worse. Tomorrow morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on a bill introduced by Arlen Specter (D., Pa.) that would make it easier for terrorists to sue military and federal law-enforcement officials.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703939404574568130713843644.html

9 Ridiculous Lawsuits Filed By Inmates

While some prisoners read books and write letters, others are busy dreaming up great works of fiction and writing them down so they can be filed as lawsuits. They often request insane amounts of money for grievances like creamy peanut butter being substituted for crunchy and cold toilet seats – but also want ridiculous amounts of cash (or money orders) when they believe prison officials have implanted chips in their brains, brainwashed them with laser beams or used their bodies for experimentation.

http://regretfulmorning.com/2009/11/9-ridiculous-lawsuits-filed-by-inmates/

Tort reform and 'corporate' America

The article in the Mail Tribune Friday, Nov. 13, about Susan Saladoff's film documentation of "corporate America's manipulation of the U.S. justice system to prevent lawsuits" looks more like an attempt to become the Michael Moore of personal injury attorneys. A trial lawyer and plaintiff's attorney, Saladoff will not be showing the main thrust of this lobby: This isn't about justice; this is about money.

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091122/OPINION/911220320/-1/NEWSMAP

Howard Marcus: Texas tort reform lures doctors

Regarding tort lawyer Patrick C. Barry’s Oct. 23 piece, “ ‘Texas justice’ will not fix health care”:

Texas-style lawsuit reforms may not fix health care, in and of themselves, but they sure will improve patients’ access to care. As a physician who relocated from Newport to Austin, I can attest to the dramatic Texas turnaround.

Even without some of its prized goals, American Medical Association backs House health care plan

Led by Temple cardiologist J. James Rohack, the American Medical Association committed in May to support the White House's effort to expand coverage to millions of uninsured and dramatically cut health care costs.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/healthscience/stories/110609dnmetamalobby.3e26c85.html

Neurosurgeons` Stand Firm: Protect Patient Access, Limit Government Intrusion

American Association of Neurological Surgeons(AANS) and Congress of Neurological
Surgeons (CNS) announced their opposition to H.R. 3962, the "Affordable
Healthcare for America Act," currently under consideration by the House of
Representatives. 
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS13032+06-Nov-2009+BW20091106

Blue Dog congressman pushes tort reforms in health bill

Just as Texas Republican lawmakers were warning darkly that the latest House healthcare bill would undo the Lone Star State's tort reform, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, persuaded Democratic leaders Monday night to add a "pre-emption" provision which would keep legal reforms already made by Texas and other states to keep medical costs down.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/1316939.html

You, Too, Can Sue Over Global Warming!

In their class-action lawsuit, the landowners claim that these emissions contributed to global warming, which caused sea levels to rise.  That in turn, the lawsuit claims, exacerbated the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.

http://nestmannblog.sovereignsociety.com/2009/11/you-too-can-sue-over-global-warming.html

Shockey: Lawsuit reform is a key to Texas’ economic stability

Before Texans for Lawsuit Reform, Texas was called the "Lawsuit Capital of the World" by The Wall Street Journal. The Old West challenge of "I’ll meet you on Main Street at high noon," had been replaced by "I’ll see you in court," because, in Texas, anybody could sue anybody for anything with no fear of repercussions.

http://www.star-telegram.com/242/story/1727955.html

The Malpractice Problem

The extra imaging study, the extra day in hospital at the end of an admission, the repetitive laboratory testing, the admission to the hospital to be "sure" about the diagnosis are all inherent in the culture of American medical care. The avoidance of litigation has become ingrained into all aspects of medical care. Since physicians are not liable for the increased costs of care but are liable for any error or missed diagnosis, it would be foolish for them to act in any other fashion. The costs of this mindset cannot be easily assessed by surveys.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/017/128xtpzs.asp

Climate Legislation has to Include Tort Reform

Bob Tippee, Editor of O&GJ recently pointed out the threat of a litigation spree emerging from the Government climate meddling, potentially threatening oil & gas and power industries as well as all businesses and private investors.  In the end the consumer has to pay and the ill-advised politicians.

http://www.glgroup.com/News/Climate-Legislation-has-to-Include-Tort-Reform-44446.html

More companies choosing litigation over arbitration, study shows

The love affair corporations have had with arbitration may be over, according to the recently released Fulbright & Jaworski LLP 2009 litigation trends report.

In past surveys, many corporations stated a preference for arbitrating a legal dispute — versus taking the case to trial. Judging by this year’s survey results, however, that trend may be reversing itself.

http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2009/10/26/story3.html

CBO Underestimates Benefits of Malpractice Reform

Earlier this month, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said medical-liability reforms could save about $11 billion annually. This assessment is a gross underestimate of the potential benefits of reform and was intended to give cover to congressional Democrats who say malpractice-liability costs are trifling. But a full accounting shows the benefits would be a hefty $242 billion a year, more than 10 percent of America's health expenditures.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703573604574491690229571588.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Abusive Litigation

Abusive Litigation: Which industry will the trial lawyers go after next? A suit filed by Mississippi property owners who had losses from Hurricane Katrina might provide a glimpse of the mischief to come.

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=509682

Richard Weekley: Tort reform healed Texas health care

NEWS REPORTS that have flooded the media since the national health-care debate began have, for the most part, accurately reported the positive impact of medical-liability reforms passed in Texas in 2003. What has not been reported is the relentless and ongoing trial-lawyer attack against tort reform in Texas and nationwide.

Civil justice reform still has a place

As congressional leaders meet behind closed doors to merge a compromise by the Senate, House and White House on a health care reform plan before the holidays, some might believe the task seems monumental. Add the concept of civil justice reform to the mix, and the job may appear impossible because of political forces on each side.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28507.html

Activist's Opposition to Tort Reform Measure Emerges as Key Issue in State Chair's Race

"Please allow me to set my record straight," Adams said. "I am a strong supporter of Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR) and their goal to eliminate frivolous lawsuits.

http://www.capitolinside.com/members/aaaa-gop-chairfight.htm

Hungry like the trial lawyer

In the most prominent 2008 case regarding the wolf’s removal from the Endangered Species list, lawyers demanded $669,000 in legal fees for just over 1,000 hours of work. A judge awarded them less than half that amount in that particular case, but a mere five other recent wolf litigation cases netted $1 million for a handful of wolf lawyers.

http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/columns/oped_contributors/64328187.html

The Scoop Blog: Tort Reform Could Reduce Malpractice Insurance Premiums by 10 Percent

Although the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) now believes that tort reform would significantly curb defensive medicine and its cost, the agency’s numbers are still far short of the savings claimed by some advocates for tort reform.

James R. Copland: Here's what is stopping tort reform

In his September 9, nationally televised speech before a joint session of Congress, President Obama made news by saying that medical-malpractice litigation "may be contributing to unnecessary costs" in the U.S. health-care sys¡©tem.

Since then, trial-lawyer advocates--including their lobbying arm, the American Association for Justice (AAJ), and various allied "consumer" groups such as the Center for Justice and Democracy--have been engaged in a fierce counter-attack. Front-and-center among the lawyer-advocates' arguments is that litigation is too small a piece of the health-care puzzle to make much difference.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/Manhattan-Moment/Here_s-what-is-stopping-tort-reform-8379073-64098807.html

Judge puts solicitation ruling on hold

A ruling on of the constitutionality of an amended state barratry law that prohibits doctors, chiropractors and other professionals from soliciting clients has been put off for at least a month.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/63908547.html?c=y&commentSubmitted=y#comments

Tort Reform Could Save $54 Billion, CBO Says

Congressional budget analysts said Friday that lawmakers could save as much as $54 billion over the next decade by imposing an array of new limits on medical malpractice lawsuits -- 10 times more than previously estimated.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/09/AR2009100904271.html

The Unemployment Costs Of Our Tort Law System

In today's speech to the Americans for Prosperity gathering in D.C., just as with last Thursday's talk to the Distributors' Council and next Tuesday's speech to the California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse meeting in San Diego, I will focus a lot of my remarks on the growing burden on American employers of the costs of litigation.

http://www.hughhewitt.com/blog/g/f4c9fa21-9d02-4866-9622-629c9118239e

Lawsuit reform must be part of health care change

Tort reform works in Texas. News reports that have flooded the media since the national health care debate began have, for the most part, accurately reported the positive impact of medical liability reforms passed here in 2003.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/6649787.html

HHS will fund $25 million in tort reform projects

The White House quickly followed up on President Obama's pledge to authorize medical liability demonstration projects, announcing Sept. 17 the availability of $25 million in grants to be doled out to states by the Dept. of Health and Human Services.

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/09/28/gvsd1001.htm

You Want Health Reform? Look at Texas

Here’s a great idea for health care makeover—one you’ve heard precious little about from the Obama administration, which claims to be so determined about reducing health care costs: Redo the laws on medical liability, counsels Texas Sen. John Cornyn. And then sit back and watch malpractice premiums fall and overall expenses slump as the trial lawyer spiders look for other flies caught in the frivolous-lawsuit net.

Why Medical Malpractice Is Off Limits

Eliminating defensive medicine could save upwards of $200 billion in health-care costs annually, according to estimates by the American Medical Association and others. The cure is a reliable medical malpractice system that patients, doctors and the general public can trust.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204488304574432853190155972.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Trial lawyers watch as a new financial regulator is born

The bill, HR 3126, would establish a new regulatory agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which would consolidate some regulatory functions while splitting others apart -- it's the financial equivalent of the Department of Homeland Security.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Trial-lawyers-watch-as-a-new-financial-regulator-is-born-60372187.html

You May Have Been Injured: The Need for Tort Reform

Just a week or so ago I was watching the news and, of course, the topic was health care reform. All of a sudden, I realized one thing that needed to be fixed when it comes to health care. It wasn't anything the talking heads were talking about that convinced me. It was a commercial.

http://www.crosswalk.com/news/commentary/11608792/

National Voter Survey: Health Care Reform and the Legal System 2009

Last week, Common Good and the Committee for Economic Development released a joint poll that shows that 67% of American voters support the health court concept.

Trial Date Set to Challenge New Texas Fraud Law

Recently enacted legislation that seeks to criminalize present day ambulance chasing is under attack by a small group of health professionals and lawyers who want to continue the practice, says the Texas Committee on Insurance Fraud, an industry group of insurance companies, state agencies and other associations that seek to put an end to insurance fraud.

Tort reform crucial for health care reform to work

Despite hundreds of town halls across the country, it appears the President has not heard what Americans are saying about health care reform.

Tort Reform? We've Already Done It

In his address last week, President Obama said he had talked to some doctors and learned that medical procedures were being done that may not be necessary due to fear of medical malpractice lawsuits, and he entertained the idea of tort reform, saying we could try it in some states with pilot projects.

Curb lawsuits to reform health care

There’s an old joke about the boy who goes to the doctor and uses his index finger to point all over his body, explaining “it hurts here, here, here and here.” The doctor sighs and says, “Son, your finger is broken.” This poor kid was looking for his ailment in all the wrong places. That’s exactly what’s happening in Washington as our leaders grapple with health care reform. They’re missing what’s really broken.

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2009/09/14/editorial1.html

Red State Solutions For Blue State Problems

Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress are proposing “blue state” solutions for the problems facing America today. Increased regulation, universal health care, heavy government spending and climate change legislation. But if one is too look at the different states in America, one can see that this may be exactly the wrong thing to do.

Promise of scrutiny could save asbestos defendants

"In the short term, it will force defendants to spend more to prove their innocence," he said. "But in the long run, it will save them money by discouraging frivolous lawsuits that are based on junk science. And that is good for the employees that are working for those companies and fighting for their jobs.

Texas - Law Firms Lessons From Texas Medical Malpractice Reforms

The most significant changes took place as part of Texas House Bill 4 in 2003. It put a $250,000 cap on non-economic damages. Its passage reflected a belief in the Texas legislature that there were too many lawsuits against healthcare providers. In the early 2000s, doctors were leaving Texas, resulting in a shortage of healthcare providers.

http://www.metrocorpcounsel.com/current.php?artType=view&artMonth=September&artYear=2009&EntryNo=10072

Tort Reform Is Key to Health Reform

Though common-sense Americans have repeatedly raised the issue of tort reform while discussing health care legislation with members of Congress during town hall meetings this month, too may lawmakers and analysts still stubbornly insist that medical liability lawsuits do not contribute significantly to rising health care costs. These lawmakers and analysts are wrong.

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=336004677519666

Mexican national seeks $30M from tire companies over fatal rollover in Texas

The plaintiff is seeking $6 million in damages for emotional pain, torment and mental anguish and is also seeking up to $24 million in exemplary damages.

http://setexasrecord.com/news/220702-mexican-national-seeks-30m-from-tire-companies-over-fatal-rollover-in-texas

Health care reform is essential; slowing it down is more so

Any legislation passed should include meaningful tort reform similar to what Texas passed in 2003, limiting the amount hospitals and doctors pay in cases involving medical malpractice.

Fiscal Conservatism and the Soul of the GOP The Texas governor on Arnold, Sarah, ObamaCare and the future of his party.

Mr. Perry's state underwent a critical tort reform that was codified in the state constitution. The payoff is that Texas is now outpacing California economically.

Tort reform favored over health care reform, survey finds

Two-thirds of Americans would like to see health care costs cut in ways different than President Barack Obama and Congress are considering in their health insurance reform plans.

Poe opposes health care bill, supports Texas tort reform at town hall meeting

Congress should consider implementing Texas' medical tort reforms on a national level.

Texas economy shining brightly despite recession

In Texas, business is booming. In 2008, 70 percent of all jobs created in the United States were created in Texas.