Washington State Update: An End to Lawsuit Abuse? For the first time in years, an opportunity for reform.
Armey’s Axioms, 40 Hard-Earned Truths from Politics, Faith, and Life. Buy the book here
You still have the opportunity to watch Dick Armey review his book on TVW’s Author Hour. The show will air on December 14th at 9:00 pm and December 17th at 8:00 pm or you can listen to an audio version at www.tvw.org.
Signed copies of the book are still available through www.cse.org. What a great Christmas present for your freedom loving family and friends!
Liability Reform Update
Liability Reform is a key issue in the national CSE agenda and in the Washington state agenda. For the first time in years, Washington has a real chance to do something about the growing number of lawsuits that threaten health care, small businesses, homebuilders and others, and cost taxpayers and consumers millions of dollars each year.
The trial lawyers who depend on the big settlements from these lawsuits are already organizing in an effort to prevent reforms. In the past, they have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, and they are ready to do that again.
Dick Armey defined the situation well in Axiom 18:
"A Man Will Fight Like a Cornered Rat if His Chicken Manure is at Stake"
We are threatening the "chicken manure" of the trial lawyers and we are prepared to fight back against the cornered rats for a legal system that is predictable, fair, and consistent. The good news is that we are not alone in this battle. A recent poll shows that 75% of Washington voters feel that juries have gone wild giving huge awards, with 56% calling these judgments a “crisis” or “major problem.”
Washington Citizens for a Sound Economy is joining forces with the Liability Reform Coalition, a group of over 60 organizations, to help pass a comprehensive liability reform bill that will protect taxpayers, consumers, patients and victims.
The 2004 Legislature will be presented with an omnibus bill that would:
Put a cap on jury awards for non-economic damages
Ensure that defendants pay only their fair share of a judgment instead of paying more simply because they have “deep pockets”
Limit lawsuits filed by people wanting to blame obesity on restaurants
Limit frivolous lawsuits and ensure that awards go to the victims, not trial lawyers
It is our duty to make the legislators more afraid of us, the constituents in their districts, than they are of the deep pockets of the trial lawyer lobby. An aggressive grassroots effort is going to be needed to prevail and Citizens for a Sound Economy is ready to take on the challenge. We are developing a comprehensive action plan and will be asking for your help prior to and during the 2004 session. Please stay tuned for information on training sessions, targeted district information, and calls to action. We can win this one!
Contact Information
The toll free number to contact the Washington CSE office will be active on December 12th. The number is: 1-877-257-9156
E-mail can be sent to wacse@cse.org or directly to me at jdaniels@cse.org.
Your input is always appreciated.
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