WASHINGTON, D.C. – Lisa A. Rickard, president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR), made the following statement today applauding the West Virginia legislature for passing a bill clarifying that state courts should treat the legal responsibilities of drug manufacturers the same way as the majority of other states (SB 15):

“We applaud the West Virginia legislature for taking action to bring state courts back into the mainstream on general principles of legal fairness. Most states accept that a drug manufacturer has fulfilled its legal responsibilities once it provides all necessary information about its product to a doctor who interacts with patients.

“While federal courts in the state have applied this same reasoning in other contexts, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals opened the door for abusive lawsuits in an outlier decision. This bill would correct that misguided ruling.

“We commend House Judiciary Chair John Shott, Senate Judiciary Chair Charlie Trump, and Senator Greg Boso for their leadership on this issue, and urge Governor Tomblin to swiftly sign this bill into law.”

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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