WASHINGTON, DC, April 11, 2003 - The Senate Judiciary Committee's vote today to reform the state court class action lawsuit system is the beginning of a process to make class action lawsuits simpler, fairer and faster for everyone. The bill will curb rampant venue shopping in state courts and abusive settlements in which class members receive coupons or something else of little value while their lawyers receive huge legal fees, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Read More
WASHINGTON, DC, April 11, 2003 - The U.S. Chamber of Commerce commends Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) for her leadership in co-sponsoring the Class Action Fairness Act of 2003. "We applaud Senator Lincoln for taking this important step in helping reform the class action system," said Stanton D. Anderson, the Chamber's executive vice president and chief legal officer. "Senator Lincoln's endorsement reaffirms and strengthens the bipartisan support in Congress for moderate and reasonable legal reform." Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 9, 2003 - The United States Chamber of Commerce's second annual poll of corporate counselors and senior litigators on the fairness or reasonableness of state liability systems gave Georgia a "C-" rating and continued to find a majority of states deserve a grade of fair to poor. The state ranks 39 this year, a significant drop from 23 in 2002 Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 9, 2003 The United States Chamber of Commerce's second annual poll of corporate counselors and senior litigators on the fairness or reasonableness of state liability systems continues to find a majority of states deserve a grade of fair to poor. "When abusive lawsuits rush in, new jobs stay out," said Thomas Donohue, Chamber President and CEO. "States must know that if they maintain legal systems that are unfair for companies, those companies can and will go elsewhere." Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 21, 2003 - The United States Chamber of Commerce derided a Madison County, Illinois, court for certifying a class action case that resulted in a multi-billion dollar award against the Philip Morris tobacco company. "Madison County is the epicenter of class action filings in America," said Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber. "This case should go down in the history books as the poster child for venue abuse." Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 14 - The United States Chamber of Commerce today complimented the West Virginia State Legislature for passing and Governor Bob Wise for signing into law a medical liability reform bill that will help doctors and hospitals to continue meeting the health care needs of West Virginians. Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 13 - The United States Chamber of Commerce today urged House lawmakers to reform the current medical liability system to help control skyrocketing costs and ensure that health care services and affordable coverage remain available. "The cost of this crisis is not measured in dollars," said Thomas Donohue, Chamber President and CEO. "As physicians exit their profession due to the scarcity and high cost of malpractice coverage, fewer patients will realize the benefits of life-saving and life-enhancing innovation. It's time for Congress to act." Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 5, 2003 - The United States Chamber of Commerce commended U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) for holding hearings to address the asbestos litigation crisis that has bankrupted dozens of companies and put thousands out of work. Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 5, 2003 - The United States Chamber of Commerce today released the findings of a new poll showing that most Americans believe the class action lawsuit system is broken. Sixty-seven percent of the 813 likely voters surveyed said the class action system should be reformed. Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 3, 2003 - The United States Chamber of Commerce has named a new president for its affiliate, the Institute for Legal Reform. Lisa Rickard will handle the day-to-day operations of the business group's efforts to restore fairness, efficiency and consistency to the U.S. civil justice system. Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 7, 2003 - The United States Chamber of Commerce reported significantly higher expenditures on federal lobbying during the second half of 2002, in reports filed this week. The U.S. Chamber reported $11.3 million spent on lobbying-related activities in the final six months of 2002 and the Chamber's Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) spent $17.3 million. Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 5, 2003 - The United States Chamber of Commerce announced it has created a new position - executive vice president and chief legal officer - and has tapped Stanton D. Anderson to lead the Chamber's efforts on legal reform and defense of business interests in the courts. Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 5 - The United States Chamber of Commerce today welcomed the introduction of class action reform legislation in the U.S. Senate that would allow complex national class actions to be tried in federal instead of state courts. "The current class action system no longer guarantees justice to defendants or plaintiffs, and a legislative remedy is desperately needed to restore the kind of fairness, balance and consistency our Founding Fathers intended," said U.S. Chamber President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue. Read More
CHARLESTON, WV, Feb. 3, 2003 - The United States Chamber of Commerce today joined with the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce in urging state lawmakers to pass significant legal reform legislation. The chambers unveiled a full-page newspaper ad asking for WV citizens to repair the state's flawed legal system. Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 13, 2003 - The United States Chamber of Commerce today warned out of control medical malpractice liability is forcing doctors to leave West Virginia and harming the quality of patient care provided by those doctors who remain, according to a poll of West Virginia physicians. "This poll is a siren call to West Virginia that their state's litigation system is in critical condition," said Kate Sullivan, Chamber director of health care policy. "Lawmakers must make meaningful changes to heal the civil justice system before patients suffer." Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 23, 2003 - The United States Chamber of Commerce today released new research that shows how asbestos lawsuits not only adversely affect the companies being sued but also cause secondary harm to other businesses, governments, communities and individuals. Read More
Washington, D.C., Nov. 26, 2002 - The United States Chamber of Commerce today commended the Mississippi House and Senate for passing legislation providing greater legal protections for businesses that are sued. The Mississippi legislature, which has been in "special session" since September, passed a medical malpractice reform bill last month and then approved general tort reform measures late last night. Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The United States Chamber of Commerce today released a study showing that a state's liability system has a "statistically significant" impact on its economic development. "This research shows what we have suspected all along - economic growth is greatly affected by the kind of legal environment in which businesses must operate," said Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber. Read More
WASHINGTON, DC - The United States Chamber of Commerce has announced that James Wootton, a national leader in the fight for legal reform, will relinquish his administrative duties with the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform effective December 1. Read More
Washington, D.C., July 31, 2002 -- The United States Chamber of Commerce today urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to pass the Class Action Fairness Act (S. 1712), a bipartisan bill that would reform the out-of-control state class action lawsuit system. Read More