WASHINGTON, D.C. - A U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) study of the securities class action litigation system shows that there is a substantial disconnect between what the system is supposed to do in terms of compensating investors and what it actually does. The report was released today as part of ILR's 6th Annual Legal Reform Summit. Read More
WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Chamber's Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) today called on the U.S. House of Representatives to quickly pass three critical bills that will help protect business owners from lawsuit abuse. "The foundation of the plaintiffs' lawyers' business model seems to be frivolous litigation and lawsuits against entire industries," said ILR President Lisa Rickard. "In passing these bills, the House would throw a serious wrench in the engine driving their lawsuit machine." Read More
Lisa Rickard, president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, issued the following statement in response to a recent influx of asbestos and silicosis litigation filed in Madison County, Illinois on September 27 and 28: "In 2004, 477 asbestos lawsuits were filed in Madison County and to the best of our knowledge, very few silicosis suits have ever been filed there. If filing 139 asbestos cases and 35 silicosis cases in two days - that's more than one-third of all 2004 asbestos filings - doesn't raise red flags at the courthouse, I don't know what will. Read More
U.S. District Court Judge Janis Graham Jack for the Southern District of Texas, the manager of federal silica multidistrict litigation, finds that all but one of 10,000 silica cases aggregated for pretrial purposes are based on “fatally unreliable” diagnoses. Judge Jack states that the claims “were driven by neither health nor justice: they were manufactured for money.” See In re Silica Prods. Liab. Litig., 398 F. Supp. 2d 563, 675 (S.D. Tex. 2005). Commentators describe Judge Jack’s opinion as “a critical turning point in mass tort litigation because for the first time it allowed a comprehensive examination of the mass tort scheme—a look behind the curtain of secrecy that had guarded litigation screening.” See David Maron & Walker W. (Bill) Jones, Taming an Elephant: A Closer Look at Mass Tort Screening and the Impact of Mississippi Tort Reforms, 26 Miss. C. L. Rev. 253, 261 (2007). Read More
Congress expands federal court jurisdiction over multistate class and mass actions seeking more than $5 million and prohibits lawyers from receiving lucrative fees when their clients receive only coupon settlements. Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) is warning that the financial devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina could be made worse by a rash of lawsuits that will delay and complicate recovery efforts for hundreds of thousands of the storms' victims. ILR urged citizens and government officials to work together to help the Gulf Coast region recover from this disaster, and not rush to the courthouse. Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C.The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) today recognized Illinois' newly enacted medical liability reforms as a good first step toward solving the states lawsuit crisis. ILR also announced the launch of a statewide advertising campaign to highlight the need for additional reforms to restore fairness and balance to the legal system. Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The United States Chamber of Commerce hailed the Illinois Supreme Court's decision stripping class action status in State Farm v. Avery. The case was originally filed in Williams County, which ranked as one of the worst jurisdictions in the country for class action abuse. Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The United States Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) today criticized the "assembly line" process used by some plaintiffs' attorneys to screen plaintiffs for massive lawsuits targeting U.S. businesses, and introduced a host of legislative options to help clean up the system. Read More
Lisa Rickard, president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, issued the following statement in response to the Wisconsin Supreme Courts recent rulings on medical liability caps and lead paint liability lawsuits: Read More
Lisa Rickard, president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, issued the following statement in response to the lawsuit filed today against the dairy industry : Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C.- At a conference on the proper role of state attorneys general, the United States Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) today released research showing the serious threat posed by activist state attorneys general and called for legislative reforms that will restore the public's faith in government. The conference also featured remarks by three current state attorneys general, Steve Carter (R-IN), Thurbert Baker (D-GA) and Tom Corbett (R-PA). Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) today urged the U.S. House of Representatives to quickly take up three vital pieces of legal reform legislation that were reported out of the House Judiciary Committee today. Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A new coalition has been formed to support the federal Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2005 (LARA), H.R. 420. This common-sense legislation would help put an end to personal injury lawyers gaming the civil justice system by filing frivolous lawsuits and forum shopping. These abuses are a threat to American businesses and their employees. Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) today applauded the West Virginia legislature and Governor Joe Manchin for enacting legal reform legislation that is a critical first step toward restoring balance to the state's unfair legal system. Read More
WASHINGTON -- A coalition of Illinois business and legal reform groups today launched a statewide public education campaign in support of comprehensive legal reforms that would bring fairness and common sense to the state's abusive legal system. The effort will feature paid advertising, a grassroots lapel pin campaign, a series of town hall meetings, and a new Web site http://www.landoflawsuits.com, designed to educate Illinois citizens on the need for legal reform. Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A United States Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) survey by Harris Interactive found wide satisfaction among individuals who chose arbitration over litigation to resolve a dispute. Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) today congratulated the West Virginia legislature and Governor Joe Manchin for passing a legal reform bill that is an important step in restoring balance to the state's unfair legal system. The West Virginia legislature passed SB 418, a bill that would reduce lawsuit abuse by reforming the state's third party bad faith laws. West Virginia is one of only a handful of states whose law allows third parties to sue insurers for acting in alleged "bad faith." Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C. - United States Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas Donohue has asked the Justice Department to investigate compelling new evidence of fraud that has emerged in asbestos and silica litigation. Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The United States Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) today applauded Missouri Governor Matt Blunt for signing comprehensive legal reform legislation that will bring fairness and common sense to Missouri’s civil justice system. Missouri ranked 40th among the 50 states in legal fairness in the 2005 ILR/Harris State Liability Systems Rankings. Read More