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

That’s a Wrap!

While the U.S. marked the Memorial Day holiday, May 27 also marked the official end of the 86th Legislative Session. The Legislature adjourned sine die, having accomplished a number of important priorities for Texans, including several important reforms to the legal system. We’ll have a more thorough review of notable bills for you in the next Advocate, but until then, here’s an update on the status of some of TLR’s key bills. Gov. Abbott has until June 16 to sign or veto bills. Any legislation that he does not sign or veto becomes law without his signature.

SENT TO THE GOVERNOR: Transparency in Local Government Contracting—House Bill 2826
This bill is one of TLR’s primary legislative priorities. It will ensure that local governments are transparent and open when entering into contingency fee contracts with attorneys. It also ensures that the local government keeps more of any legal settlement it may be awarded, rather than giving an exorbitant share of the recovery to the attorney. House bill author Rep. Greg Bonnen and Senate sponsor Joan Huffman devoted significant time to working with stakeholders to develop a bill that allows local governments to continue hiring contingency fee attorneys, while giving taxpayers the transparency they expect any time a private attorney is hired to do the government’s work.

SENT TO THE GOVERNOR: Access to Courts—Senate Bill 2342
Another of TLR’s major priorities for this session is making litigation less expensive and time consuming so all Texans can pursue their legitimate claims in court. This bill expands the jurisdiction of justice of the peace courts, which quickly and efficiently handle smaller cases and do not require an attorney. It also expands the use of successful expedited procedures that have helped make the legal process more streamlined and efficient. The bill authors, Sen. Brandon Creighton and Rep. Jeff Leach, are strong proponents of common-sense lawsuit reforms and received strong support for this legislation.

SENT TO THE GOVERNOR: Attorney Advertising—Senate Bill 1189
Sen. Dawn Buckingham, who is a practicing physician, led the charge for this bill in the Senate and Rep. Giovanni Capriglione led the charge in the House to ensure legal services TV ads are truthful and provide important information to consumers. Dr. Buckingham is particularly concerned about the effects drug-related ads have on older Texans who are targeted by the ads and sometimes frightened into discontinuing use of critically important medicines. The bill requires a few common-sense disclaimers, including, ‘Do not stop taking a prescribed medication without first consulting a physician.’

SENT TO THE GOVERNOR: Anti-SLAPP Statute—House Bill 2730
This issue has received a lot of media attention in the past few months. As we’ve discussed, when the Legislature passed the Texas Citizens’ Participation Act in 2011, it wanted to ensure a powerful entity couldn’t use a frivolous lawsuit to bully Texans out of exercising their rights of free speech and association. However, the law has been used in ways the Legislature never intended—for example, to shield actions like extortion and theft of trade secrets. House Bill 2730, authored by Rep. Jeff Leach and sponsored in the Senate by Bryan Hughes, is the product of feedback from key stakeholders—including media organizations, attorneys and judges who work with this law every day. It helps guarantee that Texans can exercise their constitutional rights of speech and association, while making adjustments to prevent the statute’s overly broad application.

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Texans for Lawsuit Reform

22 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

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

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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...
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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

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Dallas judge under scrutiny for bail rulings recuses herself from cases

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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 ...
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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

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Nuclear Verdicts Create Litigation "Vortex" for Trucking Industry

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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...
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lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
16h 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!

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

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lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
22h 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...

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lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
18 May 1527046564635721728

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

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

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Texans for Lawsuit Reform
1701 Brun Street
Houston, Texas 77019

Ph. 713-963-9363
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