In the News

S.B. 447, a piece of legislation being championed by the tort bar in the California Legislature, will dramatically increase lawsuit damages in survival cases.

The Texas Supreme Court ruled that a defendant in a personal-injury suit has a right to review documents regarding medical providers’ negotiated rates and costs even though the providers were not parties to the suit.

It was an unusual session for lawmakers who meet every two years in Austin, with competing priorities, but they still managed to pass bills that change civil litigation and the courts in the Lone Star State. Here are the bills of interest to lawyers and judges that were on the top of their lists…

Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse leaders are applauding legislation aimed at reining in lawsuits against commercial vehicle owners and operators. The legislation CALA supports is House Bill 19, authored state Rep. Jeff Leach, chairman of the Texas House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee.

Supreme Court justices have long criticized each other’s legal reasoning, but they are increasingly impugning their colleagues’ motives and sincerity, in a way that matches the current political climate.

With the intensity of the legislative session at its high point this month, Capitol staffers got a short reprieve Thursday outside the pink dome — thanks to some four-legged friends. The teams at Texans for Lawsuit Reform and Arnold Public Affairs partnered with Austin Pets Alive! to bring half-a-dozen puppies to the Capitol.

“HB 19 proves that Texas can protect the rights of victims who are injured by the negligence of others on our roadways without letting abusive lawsuits decimate small businesses and the commercial vehicle network we rely on every day. Lawsuit abuse is not a partisan issue, and throughout the legislative process, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have come together to provide feedback and support this common-sense fix to a serious problem that affects every sector of Texas’ economy.”

“The Supreme Court’s decision today to provide a full federal appellate review of the jurisdictional issues in this case and others like it should stop this effort by Baltimore and other communities to circumvent federal law and undermine national efforts to address climate change. Americans are tired of the litigation sideshow and deserve real solutions.”

The Texas Senate Transportation Committee has unanimously approved a House bill that would help curb the growing trend of lawsuit abuse targeting commercial vehicles in Texas. Texas HB19, passed by the state House on April 30, will now be forwarded to the full Senate for a vote likely later this month.

No Texan voted for the California officials who are orchestrating climate change “lawfare” against his state’s energy sector – oil and gas companies that employ hundreds of thousands and bring in billions in tax revenue, says Gov. Greg Abbott.