WASHINGTON, D.C. – Lisa A. Rickard, president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR), issued the following statement today applauding Governor Robert Bentley for signing into law a bill (SB 80) to correct a 2014 Alabama Supreme Court ruling holding drug makers liable for products that they did not manufacture:

“We commend Governor Bentley and the state legislature for correcting the Alabama Supreme Court’s mistake and bringing the state back into the legal mainstream. Holding manufacturers liable for products that they didn’t make isn’t fair and marks a steep departure from bedrock legal principles. That is why courts throughout the country have rejected the flawed logic adopted in the court’s decision.

“From a practical standpoint, this expansion of liability could have stifled innovation, led to higher drug costs, and most importantly, limited the availability of life-saving medicines to millions of Americans.

“We also applaud the Business Council of Alabama’s work on this law to uphold the commonsense principle that you are only responsible for your own products, not those of your competitors.”

ILR seeks to promote civil justice reform through legislative, political, judicial, and educational activities at the global, national, state, and local levels.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

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