Issues

Asbestos litigation is the longest-running mass tort in the nation, and a classic example of lawyer-driven lawsuit abuse.

When Texans need legal advice, they should be confident their attorney is acting both ethically and lawfully to represent them. Attorneys play an important role in the legal system, helping Texans seek justice in the courts when they have a legitimate dispute.

All Texans deserve to be protected from people and businesses who act unfairly or in bad faith when selling goods or services. But before tort reform, Texas’ consumer protection laws were being used by attorneys pursuing all kinds of civil cases, not just lawsuits involving ordinary consumers.

Our legal system cannot function without competent, fair and honest judges to interpret and apply the laws. With more than 3,300 judges serving on courts across Texas, it is critical that we continue to improve the quality and stability of our judiciary, and ensure that those who are elected to the bench are principled and fair.

A tort case is one in which a plaintiff seeks to recover damages for an injury to himself or his property that was caused by the wrongful conduct of the defendant. Torts include injuries caused by negligence, a defective product, trespassing on property and many other kinds of actions deemed wrongful by law.

Frivolous or groundless lawsuits are those that are not based on facts or the law. We recall extreme examples of frivolous lawsuits from news reports, and we know these cases can be expensive, stressful and time consuming for those fighting them. That’s why it is critical for Texas to have a process for courts to deal with frivolous lawsuits.

Since 2009, storm-chasing lawyers have used natural disasters as opportunities to line their pockets at the expense of all Texans. By exploiting Texas’ consumer protection laws, storm-chasing lawyers created a lucrative business model that led to an explosion of lawsuits statewide.

Every Texan has the right to access the court system to resolve legitimate disputes. With more than 1.3 million new civil cases filed in the Lone Star State in 2016, it’s critical that Texas’ courts follow laws and procedures that provide an effective and efficient resolution of lawsuits.

The Lone Star State’s population growth presents a number of challenges, including ensuring that Texans have access to healthcare. A key component of ensuring access to quality healthcare is having enough hospitals and doctors to provide care across the state.

When someone is injured through the actions of another, they deserve reasonable compensation for their injuries. But whether it was a car accident, slip and fall or other type of lawsuit, by the mid-1980s personal injury trial lawyers had pushed Texas law out of balance.

The cost of excessive, unnecessary and frivolous lawsuits is added by manufacturers, distributors and retailers to the price consumers pay for products. This “tort tax” costs American consumers billions of dollars each year.

“Venue” in a civil or criminal case means the county or particular geographic area in which a lawsuit may be properly filed. Venue deals with the locality of a lawsuit.