WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) today presented Dr. Robert P. Hartwig with the 2010 Research Award for his outstanding contributions to research on liability issues, and his continuing drive to improve the understanding of the role of liability insurance in the tort system.
 
ILR President Lisa Rickard applauded Dr. Hartwig as “a highly regarded economist in the insurance industry whose work has gained recognition across all groups interested in the liability system, including the media.”

Dr. Hartwig has become the chief insurance industry spokesperson on liability issues, and has testified multiple times before Congress, state legislatures, and regulatory bodies, in addition to conducting or overseeing the development of numerous influential research projects.

His most recent paper, “Tort Inflation 2010:  Stability Today, But For How Long?” makes a well-documented case that some significant tort challenges lie ahead, such as the attempt to create the next mass tort litigation out of global warming. The paper also discusses liability issues stemming from terrorism and emerging issues such as Chinese drywall litigation. 

Dr. Hartwig received the award at ILR’s 11th Annual Legal Reform Summit, which brought together the nation’s leading legal reform experts to discuss the problems in the civil justice system and solutions to fix them.

ILR 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 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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