Statement of Lisa Rickard, President of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, which submitted a statement for the record to the Delaware Special Committee on Superior Court Asbestos Litigation on the increase in asbestos claims in the Delaware court system:

“Asbestos lawsuits from non-Delaware residents, for claims occurring in other states, are being brought into Delaware at an increasing rate. We applaud the Delaware judicial system for investigating how to deal with the influx of these out-of-state lawsuits. If left unchecked, these suits could overwhelm the courts and threaten the fairness and efficiency that is the foundation of Delaware’s courts.

“For the past seven years, Delaware has ranked number one on the Institute for Legal Reform’s annual Harris Survey of the fifty state civil justice systems for its unbiased, efficient and fair court system.

“Maintaining the highest-ranked court system in the nation does not happen without continual work to ensure that court dockets are effectively managed and claims are fairly adjudicated on their merits, and the Delaware courts are to be commended for beginning to address the issue.”

The mission of the Institute for Legal Reform is to make America’s legal system simpler, fairer, and faster for everyone. It seeks to promote civil justice reform through legislative, political, judicial, and educational activities at the national, state, and local levels. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation, representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

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