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

Looking to 2021

The votes are in for the 2020 election, and while the results of a handful of races are still being finalized, by and large, we know what Texas’ Senate and House will look like in the upcoming legislative session.

The men and women who will serve in the Legislature will face important tasks next year, as the pandemic continues to cast uncertainty over everything from the state budget to the logistics for committee hearings at the Capitol.

One thing is certain—the decisions made by legislators in 2021 will have a lasting impact on our state’s economy, job creation and future opportunities for Texas families.

At a time when many Texans are struggling, we should be doing everything we can to support job creation and economic growth in our state. For TLR, that starts with shutting down job-killing lawsuit abuse whenever and wherever it occurs, and there is no bigger area of lawsuit abuse today than commercial vehicle litigation.

As we’ve outlined previously, the data demonstrates the problem. Texas has seen a 118 percent increase in the number of motor vehicle lawsuits filed since 2008. In 2019, a lawsuit was filed after one of out every 10 crashes, compared to one in 17 in 2008. That is almost double the rate of lawsuits in just over a decade. The biggest indicator that this is not an organic phenomenon is that the severity of crashes—those that result in fatalities, serious injuries or any injuries at all—has increased relatively slowly over the same time period (4.4 percent, 3.5 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively).

Any vehicle with a logo on it is a target—from delivery vehicles to home contractors to rideshares. Any accident—regardless of who is at fault—can result in a lawsuit.

Lawsuit abuse of any kind affects all Texans, even if they’ve never filed a lawsuit themselves. Unnecessary lawsuits can jam up our courts, slowing down the process for legitimate lawsuits when Texans have truly been injured.

Lawsuit abuse also creates a cost that trickles down to all of us, in the form of the Tort Tax. With many commercial vehicles supporting essential services, including the delivery of food and goods to our homes and store shelves, we cannot afford to let the abuse continue. Too many people rely on commercial vehicles for their wellbeing, and for their livelihoods.

Case in point: Texas was just named the top state in the nation for foreign direct investment projects and Free Trade Zones by Site Selection Magazine. No doubt that our transportation infrastructure—including the commercial vehicles that shuttle goods and services across the state—play an important role in this distinction. Lawsuits against commercial vehicles put all of that in jeopardy.

This is one of many issues we are watching for the upcoming session, some of which we will discuss in the coming weeks. While many things will be different this legislative session, many things will remain constant. Texas has a proven formula for economic success—it is what made us the nation’s job creation leader for over a decade. Relying on that formula will help move Texas forward in 2021 and beyond.

Follow us on Facebook

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

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

22 hours 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: 1

Comment on Facebook

Tar And Feather

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

2 days ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

TLR General Counsel Lee Parsley joined the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform’s 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 #trucking #lawsuit #LegalNews #courts ... 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: 0
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

2 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·
16h 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
lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
22h 1526956133377789952

The Dallas County DA argued a judge’s impartiality could be questioned after she lowered a defendant’s bail while his defense lawyer is one of her top campaign contributors and then raised his bail after media reports about her rulings. Read & RT:

Dallas judge under scrutiny for bail rulings recuses herself from cases

Judge Chika Anyiam, of Criminal District Court 7, recused herself Monday from 10 felony cases against Julio Guerrero. A Dallas County judge who faced ...

bit.ly

Reply on Twitter 1526956133377789952Retweet on Twitter 15269561333777899521Like on Twitter 1526956133377789952Twitter 1526956133377789952
lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
17 May 1526684119077371904

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

About - Texans for Lawsuit Reform

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 ...

bit.ly

Reply on Twitter 1526684119077371904Retweet on Twitter 1526684119077371904Like on Twitter 1526684119077371904Twitter 1526684119077371904

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