Posted on 02/04/2005 2:39:44 PM PST by Ravi
Stymied for years by House Democrats who are no longer in power, caps on malpractice jury awards were approved by a House committee and are headed for a floor vote.
With little debate, the Special House Committee on Civil Justice Reform approved sweeping tort reform legislation that caps jury awards for a malpractice victim's pain at suffering at $250,000, or up to $750,000 if multiple defendants are liable. The vote followed two days of hearings.
"It's light years from where we've been in years past," committee chairman Barry Fleming (R-Harlem) said after the vote. "This bill should help us recruit business to Georgia by greatly improving access to healthcare."
Joseph Parker, president of the Georgia Hospital Association, was elated by the committee's vote. "We think this is a good bill," he said. "We've always asked for the chance to make our case before either House or Senate body."
(Excerpt) Read more at ajc.com ...
That's a good start. Make the schiester lawyers pay all costs if they bring a frivolous suit.
Good. Now hopefully they'll do the same in the U.S. House and Senate!!!
Not sure I like the idea of a federal cap on a State tort. Sounds like more commerce clause abuse ...
It's on its way:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1336004/posts
-ccm
And one more reason for a business to flee the rust belt.
Completely agreed. I've always felt that federal tort reform will go nowhere will go nowhere because we lack 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. Lindsey Graham and I believe Crapo from Idaho are already on record against tort reform - we may get a couple of Dems but not enough to overcome that 60 vote threshold.
So it's left up to the states to come up with reform. With most likely Missouri, South Carolina and Georgia this year passing meaningful reform, I think it makes it easier for physicians to move these states from neighboring states. That only decreases the supply of physicians (especially neurosurgeons and Ob-Gyn's) in states without tort reform. Hopefully, that will cause even more pressure on those states - I'm thinking Illinois and Pennsylvania for example to enact meaningful reform. And if they don't, we can vote in some Republicans next time around. Then we can get some reform.
"I hope the filthy lawyer pirates are shaking in their boots. They should be; this is just the beginning. We're going to drive hundreds of thousands of the scum sucking dung heaps out of business."
Well, this "filthy lawyer pirate" isn't shaking in his boots. BTW, what do you do for a living that's so great?
I am sure the people on this thread would be singing the same tune if their son or daughter was completely disabled by sheer negligence.
Not with Rendell in office.
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