One BILLION dollars!
Posted on 02/19/2005 2:15:04 AM PST by Liz
The benefits of expanded GOP control in both chambers of Congress were evident this week with the passage of a major tort-reform measure.
Yesterday, President Bush signed that measure into law. As a result, lawyers seeking to cash in on class-action suits will find it harder to "shop" for favorable local judges. Instead, they'll have to take those cases to federal courts, in a much more fair process.
Bear in mind that this bill lost by a single vote in the Senate last time. This time, it passed 72-26. Their party's losses in the last election plainly inspired several Democrats to vote on common sense, rather than their leaders' wishes.
As for the bill's merits, Bush has rightly noted that the tort system is in bad need of repair. The mess is a drain on the economy, allowing plaintiffs to unfairly target deep-pocketed businesses, which pass on their legal costs to consumers. Frivolous or unfair medical-malpractice suits threaten to drive many doctors and specialists out of business.
The new law targets one of the worst legal abuses: "forum shopping" — taking the case to, say, an obscure town in Mississippi or Texas to greatly boost the odds of getting a too-friendly judge and jury.
Now lawyers can only take a class-action suit to a state court if the main defendant and more than a third of the plaintiffs are from that same state. If not, they must go to the federal courts.
But federal courts would only hear class-action suits involving a minimum of $5 million. And plaintiff lawyers will face some restrictions on their fees.
New York's junior senator, Hillary Clinton (a lawyer herself), sought to do New York — and the nation — a big disservice (and her fellow lawyers a favor) by voting against this sensible measure.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
bttt
Great job!!
Collateral effect will be interesting. Businesses say they will save "billions" due to the enactment of the bill.
One BILLION dollars!
| Akaka (D-HI), Nay Alexander (R-TN), Yea Allard (R-CO), Yea Allen (R-VA), Yea Baucus (D-MT), Nay Bayh (D-IN), Yea Bennett (R-UT), Yea Biden (D-DE), Nay Bingaman (D-NM), Yea Bond (R-MO), Yea Boxer (D-CA), Nay Brownback (R-KS), Yea Bunning (R-KY), Yea Burns (R-MT), Yea Burr (R-NC), Yea Byrd (D-WV), Nay Cantwell (D-WA), Yea Carper (D-DE), Yea Chafee (R-RI), Yea Chambliss (R-GA), Yea Clinton (D-NY), Nay Coburn (R-OK), Yea Cochran (R-MS), Yea Coleman (R-MN), Yea Collins (R-ME), Yea Conrad (D-ND), Yea Cornyn (R-TX), Yea Corzine (D-NJ), Nay Craig (R-ID), Yea Crapo (R-ID), Yea Dayton (D-MN), Nay DeMint (R-SC), Yea DeWine (R-OH), Yea Dodd (D-CT), Yea |
Dole (R-NC), Yea Domenici (R-NM), Yea Dorgan (D-ND), Nay Durbin (D-IL), Nay Ensign (R-NV), Yea Enzi (R-WY), Yea Feingold (D-WI), Nay Feinstein (D-CA), Yea Frist (R-TN), Yea Graham (R-SC), Yea Grassley (R-IA), Yea Gregg (R-NH), Yea Hagel (R-NE), Yea Harkin (D-IA), Nay Hatch (R-UT), Yea Hutchison (R-TX), Yea Inhofe (R-OK), Yea Inouye (D-HI), Nay Isakson (R-GA), Yea Jeffords (I-VT), Yea Johnson (D-SD), Yea Kennedy (D-MA), Nay Kerry (D-MA), Nay Kohl (D-WI), Yea Kyl (R-AZ), Yea Landrieu (D-LA), Yea Lautenberg (D-NJ), Nay Leahy (D-VT), Nay Levin (D-MI), Nay Lieberman (D-CT), Yea Lincoln (D-AR), Yea Lott (R-MS), Yea Lugar (R-IN), Yea Martinez (R-FL), Yea |
McCain (R-AZ), Yea McConnell (R-KY), Yea Mikulski (D-MD), Nay Murkowski (R-AK), Yea Murray (D-WA), Nay Nelson (D-FL), Nay Nelson (D-NE), Yea Obama (D-IL), Yea Pryor (D-AR), Nay Reed (D-RI), Yea Reid (D-NV), Nay Roberts (R-KS), Yea Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea Salazar (D-CO), Yea Santorum (R-PA), Not Voting Sarbanes (D-MD), Nay Schumer (D-NY), Yea Sessions (R-AL), Yea Shelby (R-AL), Yea Smith (R-OR), Yea Snowe (R-ME), Yea Specter (R-PA), Yea Stabenow (D-MI), Nay Stevens (R-AK), Yea Sununu (R-NH), Not Voting Talent (R-MO), Yea Thomas (R-WY), Yea Thune (R-SD), Yea Vitter (R-LA), Yea Voinovich (R-OH), Yea Warner (R-VA), Yea Wyden (D-OR), Nay |
Picked clean.
NPR wasn't pleased.
Thanks.
.....then it must be an even greater bill than Bush originally thought......
What a surprise..., Chicken-little Markie Dayton was agin it.
Sununu & Santorum had other things to do?
HAHAHA What will John Edwards do now... His world is crashing down on him... failed political career now he can't even go back to making the millions he did in junk lawsuits... hahaha... serves him right...
(Sniffle), and No-Bounce Eddie was so determined to unite a country hopelessly
divided between non-aerosol hair spray and hard-to-hold styling gel, too (sob).
Well he still has his spot as a Breck Girl...
God, I can`t stand that bonafide sociopath. I live in New york city and a few months ago I had jury duty, and EVERY case I was pooled for was a lawsuit. Lawsuit, lawuit, lawsuit, lawsuit. This person sprained their hand on a train, that person tripped on a stoop, this person hit their head, it was unbelievable, and all the legit cases get put off for months if not years because of this crap clogging the courts. I got into an argument with one leech saying because of slugs like him, my car insurance is through the roof, my health insuranse is through the roof and he gives me this whole thing "The law says people are allowed to be compensated". God, how I hate that word. Lawyers never say "paid", it`s always "compensation" with them. How about compensating the defendent when you lose for once you prick? Anyone who has any kind of money constantly risks losing all of it because of leeches like him. I can`t even imagine the money doctors have to go through in insurance costs and lawyers every year, if not every month. You got to be out of your mind to be a doctor today in New York.
Anyone know which way John Edwards voted? Oh...now I remember...no job...
Whoa, Kerry actually was in for once? What happened, his bicycle was being fixed or the slopes at Aspen where undergoing renovation? Oh and he voted Nay, how suprising.
Unreal, look at this..All these liberal slugs vote Nay..Lets keep health premiums up as high as they can possibly go, then let`s all complain why people can`t afford it. What a bunch of hypocrites. I wonder how many were paid of by the legal lobby..
Boxer (D-CA), Nay
Clinton (D-NY), Nay
Patty "Osama is a good man" Murray (D-WA), Nay
Kennedy (D-MA), Nay
Kerry (D-MA), Nay
Corzine (D-NJ), Nay
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Nay
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