Lisa Rickard, president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, issued the following statement in response to the Wisconsin Supreme Courts recent rulings on medical liability caps and lead paint liability lawsuits:
“The Wisconsin Supreme Court has just put out the welcome mat for plaintiffs’ lawyers bringing meritless lawsuits. We are dismayed and alarmed that the Court would clear the path for a wave of questionable lead paint litigation that will be virtually impossible to defend. Its rejection of the legislatures carefully considered cap on medical liability damages will perpetuate a barrage of lawsuits against doctors and set off a chain reaction that ultimately will end with people paying more for healthcare.
“The state is now ripe for lawsuit abuse, the effects of which can be devastating to a states economy – just ask the people of Illinois, home to one of the worst legal climates in the country. Simply put, these rulings are bad for employers, bad for doctors and bad for Wisconsin.”