Texans for Lawsuit Reform

Through political action, legal, academic and market research, and grassroots initiatives, TLR fights for common-sense reforms that keep Texas open for business.

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For the Record

A Rare Step in the Right Direction

California has made quite a reputation for itself, and not in a good way.

Case in point: the much ballyhooed addition of coffee to California’s recklessly broad Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, known as Proposition 65. The proposition “requires the state to maintain and update a list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity.”

Anyone can file a lawsuit alleging that a company has failed to warn consumers of their exposure to substances on the Prop. 65 list, and as the Wall Street Journal reports, in 2018 lawyers made more than $27.25 million from Prop. 65 settlements.

So how did coffee— one of the most widely consumed beverages in America—land in Prop. 65’s crosshairs? According to the Journal, “In 2010 [Raphael] Metzger sued Starbucks and 90 other coffee manufacturers and distributors, claiming they failed to warn consumers about the cancer risks of acrylamide. Last year a Los Angeles Superior Court ordered the coffee companies to put cancer warnings on their beverages. Mr. Metzger sought as much as $2,500 in civil penalties for each cup of coffee they sold over at least a decade.”

It took another regulation, which takes effect October 1, stating that coffee isn’t a health threat to end the madness, a rare step in the right direction for California lawmakers. Nevertheless, the Journal reports that Metzger plans to challenge the new rule in court and seek retroactive penalties.

When will California realize that promoting a heavy-handed regulatory regime and turning a blind eye to activist judges and an unbalanced legal system is hurting its citizens by discouraging small business development and job creation? And, we ask, when will large public companies quit paying extorted settlements to lawyers who manufacture lawsuits rather than fighting them tooth-and-nail in the courthouse?

As we’ve discussed before in this blog, employers and families are fed up with dealing with California’s excesses and are fleeing the state for Texas and other states that provide a business and legal environment in which people prosper.

Maybe the assault on coffee will be the wakeup call California needs to start to change its ways. In any event, the state’s response to the coffee debacle is a step toward common-sense and reigning in an abusive lawsuit cottage industry.

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Texans for Lawsuit Reform

3 days ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

A great turnout at our 88th Legislative Session Lunch & Learn today! Thanks to all the legislative staffers who joined us to hear about TLR’s agenda this session. ... See MoreSee Less

A  great turnout at our 88th Legislative Session Lunch & Learn today! Thanks to all the legislative staffers who joined us to hear about TLR’s agenda this session.Image attachment
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Texans for Lawsuit Reform

3 days ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

In case you missed it: Check out the TLR Advocate to read our top priorities for the 88th legislative session, guest columns, and an update on the expanding TLR team. Read and share: bit.ly/3ZHdEva ... See MoreSee Less

In case you missed it: Check out the TLR Advocate to read our top priorities for the 88th legislative session, guest columns, and an update on the expanding TLR team. Read and share: https://bit.ly/3ZHdEva
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Texans for Lawsuit Reform

4 days ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

Public nuisance lawsuits have expanded beyond their traditional use into a way to regulate through litigation. TLR is dedicated to preventing the public nuisance doctrine from becoming a catch-all cause of action used to impose one person’s political views on society as a whole. Read and share: bit.ly/3ZHdEva ... See MoreSee Less

Public nuisance lawsuits have expanded beyond their traditional use into a way to regulate through litigation. TLR is dedicated to preventing the public nuisance doctrine from becoming a catch-all cause of action used to impose one person’s political views on society as a whole. Read and share: https://bit.ly/3ZHdEva
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lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
3 Feb 1621598756633288707

A great turnout at our 88th Legislative Session Lunch & Learn today! Thanks to all the legislative staffers who joined us to hear about TLR’s agenda this session. #txlege

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lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
3 Feb 1621539669228879873

#ICYMI: Check out the TLR Advocate to read our top priorities for the 88th legislative session, guest columns, and an update on the expanding TLR team. Read and share: https://bit.ly/3ZHdEva

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lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
2 Feb 1621267523164426242

TLR is working to make the Texas legal system fair, efficient, and accessible for all. Learn more: #txjustice #txcourts

TLR at a Glance

TLR's objective is to restore litigation to its traditional and appropriate role in our society. A lawsuit takes a heavy emotional and financial toll ...

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Texans for Lawsuit Reform
1701 Brun Street
Houston, Texas 77019

Ph. 713-963-9363
  • About TLR
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