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.

  • About TLR
    • Our Mission
    • Our Team
    • Timeline of Reforms
  • Videos
  • Issues
  • Resource Center
    • Special Reports
    • In the News
    • Press Releases
    • The Advocate
    • TLR Blog: For the Record
  • Get Involved
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Invite a TLR Speaker
  • Donate
  • Stay Informed
For the Record

Ambulance Chasing Our Veterans

Ambulance Chasing Our Veterans

Barratry—more commonly known as ambulance chasing—is one of the biggest challenges currently facing Texas’ legal system. Barratry has been illegal in the Lone Star State for decades. But that small technicality hasn’t stopped the practice from flourishing.

Whether lawyers are trolling emergency rooms for car accident clients, working superstore parking lots to recruit plaintiffs to sue for undiagnosed diseases from alleged asbestos exposure or going door-to-door in neighborhoods soliciting property owners to sue insurance companies for storm-caused property damage, ambulance chasing is a serious problem.

A recent poll showed that most Texans recognize the severity of the consequences of ambulance chasing. Sixty-seven percent of respondents agreed that personal injury trial lawyers exploit people injured in accidents and with illnesses for their own gain.

Where will we draw the line? What will it take to finally hold ambulance chasers accountable for breaking the law and taking advantage of our sick and injured neighbors?

The answer may be when they start messing with Texas veterans.

Many veterans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan were exposed to smoke from pits where garbage was burned. These burn pits were used to dispose of everything from food and medical waste to batteries and chemicals. Some veterans who have returned from service in Iraq and Afghanistan have linked their exposure to burn pit smoke to serious illnesses they have developed.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has set up a registry for veterans who believe they were affected by exposure to burn pit fumes, and the issue is the subject of Congressional hearings and proposed federal legislation. These efforts to analyze the problem are critical and must continue in order to determine the health effects of open burn pits and the healthcare options for veterans who suffer from exposure to the burn pits.

Unfortunately, personal injury trial lawyers have also become involved, with some law firms advertising for veteran clients to join class action lawsuits against military contractors.

Efforts to establish a state-based burn pit registry during the last legislative session failed in Texas. While the bill’s goal—to create a state resource for veterans to share information about their exposure to burn pits and subsequent illnesses—seems worthy on its face, TLR expressed concerns that the registry could become a recruiting tool for unscrupulous personal injury trial lawyers looking to make a buck off unsuspecting veterans. At a cost to the state of $3 million a year, taxpayers would be footing the bill to create a duplicate registry that would aid in the solicitation of clients by mass tort lawyers.

We all owe a debt of gratitude to the men and women of our armed forces. Texas can and should do all it can to ensure our service members receive all of the resources they need when they return home. We should also protect those service members from becoming the next target of ambulance chasing personal injury trial lawyers.

TLR has been in contact with the bill’s authors since the end of last session about our concern that a registry could be used for solicitation of veterans by plaintiffs’ lawyers. If the Legislature decides to move forward with a state registry, TLR has pledged to provide our resources in crafting a bill that allows a state registry to be used for official communications with veterans by state agencies and employees, while preventing solicitation by unscrupulous personal injury trial lawyers looking to take advantage of our veterans.

Follow us on Facebook

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

23 hours ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

In case you missed it - 15 Harris County judges resolved fewer felony cases during the pandemic, and all 23 courts have more pending cases now than when the COVID epidemic began. As of March, there were over 48,000 pending active cases in Criminal District Court. Read and share: bit.ly/3yeuPc7 ... See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

'Do your job,' victim tells judge in Harris County's slowest court

bit.ly

Fifteen judges resolved fewer felony cases during the pandemic and all 23 courts have more pending cases now than when the pandemic began. Harris County Judge Ramona Franklin, of the 338th Criminal Di...
View on Facebook
·Share

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email

  • Likes: 0
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

2 days ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

The Dallas County DA argued a judge’s impartiality could reasonably be questioned after she lowered a defendant’s bail considerably while his defense lawyer is one of her top campaign contributors, and then raised his bail after media reports about her rulings. Read and share: bit.ly/3lfQMzM ... See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

Dallas judge under scrutiny for bail rulings recuses herself from cases

bit.ly

Judge Chika Anyiam, of Criminal District Court 7, recused herself Monday from 10 felony cases against Julio Guerrero. A Dallas County judge who faced public scrutiny for lowering a murder suspect’s ...
View on Facebook
·Share

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email

  • Likes: 2
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

3 days ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

TLR General Counsel Lee Parsley joined the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform podcast to discuss nuclear verdicts in the trucking industry and what legislators can do to ensure that excessive lawsuits don't shut down this vital industry. Listen and share: bit.ly/3wjgKJ9 ... See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

Nuclear Verdicts Create Litigation "Vortex" for Trucking Industry

bit.ly

In this episode of Cause for Action, Nathan Morris, senior vice president, legal reform advocacy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, is joined by Lee Parsley, the general couns...
View on Facebook
·Share

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email

  • Likes: 0
  • Shares: 1
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook


Follow us on Twitter

lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
17h 1527408930703523840

Since TLR’s founding, our supporters have made their voices heard at the Capitol by phone, e-mail, & personal visits on every issue that affects a healthy civil justice system. Make your voice heard & get involved with TLR today!

Get Involved

Texans for Lawsuit Reform has thousands of supporters from across Texas who are committed to a fair and balanced civil justice system.

bit.ly

Reply on Twitter 1527408930703523840Retweet on Twitter 1527408930703523840Like on Twitter 15274089307035238401Twitter 1527408930703523840
lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
23h 1527318698804908040

#ICYMI: 15 Harris County judges resolved fewer felony cases during the pandemic & all 23 courts have more pending cases now than when the COVID epidemic began. As of March, there were over 48,000 pending active cases in Criminal District Court. Read & RT:

'Do your job,' victim tells judge in Harris County's slowest court

Fifteen judges resolved fewer felony cases during the pandemic and all 23 courts have more pending cases now than when the pandemic began. Harris Coun...

bit.ly

Reply on Twitter 1527318698804908040Retweet on Twitter 15273186988049080402Like on Twitter 15273186988049080401Twitter 1527318698804908040
lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
18 May 1527046564635721728

Want to make a difference in the fight against lawsuit abuse? Join the TLR team today! #stoplawsuitabuse

Get Involved

Texans for Lawsuit Reform has thousands of supporters from across Texas who are committed to a fair and balanced civil justice system.

bit.ly

Reply on Twitter 1527046564635721728Retweet on Twitter 1527046564635721728Like on Twitter 1527046564635721728Twitter 1527046564635721728

Texans for Lawsuit Reform
1701 Brun Street
Houston, Texas 77019

Ph. 713-963-9363
  • About TLR
  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Timeline of Reforms
  • Videos
  • Issues
  • Resource Center
  • For the Record
  • Special Reports
  • In the News
  • Press Releases
  • Invite a TLR Speaker
  • Get Involved
  • Invite a TLR Speaker
  • Donate
  • Stay Informed
  • Contact TLR

Copyright © 2022 · Texans for Lawsuit Reform. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 · Texans for Lawsuit Reform.
All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy