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

21 minutes ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

Abusive lawsuits against commercial vehicles are hurting Texas jobs and businesses. Your lawmakers in the Texas Legislature need to hear from you. Ask them to support Senate Bill 17, Senate Bill 207, House Bill 19, and House Bill 1617. Take action: ow.ly/SDaD50DNgSb ... See MoreSee Less

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Write your Texas Lawmakers – Keep Texas Trucking Coalition

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Abusive lawsuits against commercial vehicles are hurting Texas jobs and businesses. Your representatives in the Texas Legislature need to hear from you. Ask them to support Senate Bill 17, Senate Bill...
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Texans for Lawsuit Reform

59 minutes ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

Abusive commercial vehicle lawsuits are jeopardizing small businesses and the essential services Texas families rely on. As our state works to recover from the pandemic and from the recent devastating winter storm, we can’t let lawsuit abuse kill these critical jobs and endanger our supply chain. Read the Keep Texas Trucking Coalition’s statement regarding Senate Bills 17 and 207 and House Bills 19 and 1617 here: bit.ly/3b5m5ZN ... See MoreSee Less

Statement by the Keep Texas Trucking Coalition on SB 17, SB 207, HB 19 and HB 1617 – Keep Texas Trucking Coalition

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AUSTIN—The Keep Texas Trucking Coalition (KTTC) today released the following statement regarding Senate Bills 17 and 207 and House Bills 19 and 1617, which address abusive lawsuits against owners an...
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Texans for Lawsuit Reform

1 hour ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

Abusive commercial vehicle lawsuits are built on presenting misleading evidence to the jury—whether inflated medical bills or prejudicial evidence about a commercial vehicle operator’s conduct. We cannot expect juries to arrive at a fair decision when given misleading, extraneous and purposely prejudicial information. Read TLR’s statement regarding our efforts to end abusive lawsuits against commercial vehicle owners here: bit.ly/3q1OzaZ ... See MoreSee Less

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TLR Statement on SB 17, SB 207, HB 19 and HB 1617

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Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR) today issued the following statement regarding its efforts to end abusive lawsuits against commercial vehicle owners.
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lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
19m 1366522375278387200

Abusive lawsuits against commercial vehicles are hurting Texas jobs & businesses. Your lawmakers in the #txlege need to hear from you. Ask them to support SB 17, SB 207, HB 19, & HB 1617. Take action: https://bit.ly/3b5HPET #lawsuitreform #tortreform

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lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
59m 1366512330394198026

Read the Keep Texas Trucking Coalition’s statement regarding Senate Bills 17 and 207 and House Bills 19 and 1617 here: https://bit.ly/3b5m5ZN #txlege #lawsuitreform #tortreform

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lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
1h 1366508585111482371

Read TLR's statement regarding our efforts to end abusive lawsuits against commercial vehicle owners here: #txlege #lawsuitreform #tortreform

TLR Statement on SB 17, SB 207, HB 19 and HB 1617

Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR) today issued the following statement regarding its efforts to end abusive lawsuits against commercial vehicle owners.

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Texans for Lawsuit Reform
1701 Brun Street
Houston, Texas 77019

Ph. 713-963-9363
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