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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In the News

Will Lawyers Act With Honor After Covid?

Wall Street Journal, June 2, 2020

By Joel Webber

A physician friend told me a man in his 60s once called his office reporting chest pains, tingling in his left arm, and shortness of breath. To my friend’s amazement, his new receptionist replied without urgency: “The doctor can see you Tuesday at 10.” That careless answer reminds me of my own profession. Watching lawyers associations keep silent as the pandemic threatens livelihoods, I feel a similar disbelief.

As economies reopen, attorneys should step up to help block the tsunami of opportunistic negligence litigation that threatens to derail the recovery. Specifically, national and state bar groups can help federal authorities design and defend safe-harbor rules to protect companies against coronavirus-related negligence lawsuits. President Trump, White House aide Larry Kudlow and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have already urged such a measure.

Doctors have acted under pressure with incomplete knowledge, doing the best they can. So are policy makers. But out of fear of lawsuits, many businesses won’t reopen as quickly as the country needs. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has called liability “the largest area of concern for the overall business community.”

Imagine an auto dealer’s service department reopening in careful compliance with federal and state protocols on masks, testing, distancing and all the rest. Then an employee, customer or vendor becomes infected. It may or may not be the company’s fault. The infection may not even have been contracted on-site. But the lawsuit arrives and the auto dealer is forced to spend months or more racking up legal costs.

The fault may not ever become clear, but in any case it will take time: responsive pleadings, document production, depositions, motion papers, motions argued to the judge, and “status hearings” in which the lawyers travel to the courthouse to check in with the judge on scheduling or squabble with opposing counsel. All the while, the lawyers’ meters are running, to the tune of hundreds of dollars an hour, to say nothing of the cost of going to trial or settling.

For my first 10 years after law school, working in a Wall Street law firm and then trying cases before juries, I didn’t realize how broken the justice system was. Only when I found myself on the other side of the table, as a general manager of a corporation, did I recognize how ruinous my profession can be to honest enterprise.

That’s true during normal times, and these are anything but. We are in a war against a deadly enemy; an honorable profession would look beyond profit per partner and other metrics of self-interest to do whatever it can to help. Business clients are doing so: 28 Mile Distilling Co. has shifted from vodka to hand-sanitizer; Cascade Maverik Lacrosse has retooled from helmets to medical face shields; General Motors is making ventilators.

If companies can pivot and doctors and nurses can risk their lives to help, we lawyers should be able to dial back our greed and put our country first.

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Texans for Lawsuit Reform

20 hours ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

In case you missed it: Specialized business courts like the Delaware Court of Chancery can be an important addition to a state’s economic foundation. These courts quickly and expertly handle complex business litigation, freeing up other courts to handle other types of cases. Read and share: bit.ly/3y7zwnI ... See MoreSee Less

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Making Business Our Business

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Much has been written about Elon Musk—eccentric billionaire, CEO of some of the most innovative companies in the world and… future owner of Twitter? While the nuances of this deal are daily fodder...
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Texans for Lawsuit Reform

2 days ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

The federal judge who supervises multidistrict opioid litigation had ordered a certain percentage of future opioid settlements to be set aside for plaintiffs’ lawyers who have similar cases outside the MDL, diverting more settlement money away from the victims. Read & share: bit.ly/3NqcDQP ... See MoreSee Less

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Multidistrict Opioid Litigation Continues to Enrich Plantiffs' Lawyers

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Multidistrict opioid litigation is once again being used to the advantage of plaintiffs’ lawyers. This very serious issue requires a victims-first approach, not a plaintiffs’-lawyer-payday-first a...
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Texans for Lawsuit Reform

3 days ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

A month passed before Harris County courts brought in 18-year-old Corey Hodges, who violated his bond conditions 37 times. Crime Stoppers’ Andy Kahan blames the initial judge's lack of enforcement on his first bond violation back in 2015. Read and share: bit.ly/3A6vLjC ... See MoreSee Less

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18-year-old charged with murder, aggravated assault violates bond conditions at least 37 times

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HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – 18-year-old Corey Hodge could be a poster guy for Breaking Bond. “This is clearly you are breaking your bond conditions,” said Andy Kahan with Crime Stoppers. On April 17,...
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lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
14h 1542991625462464513

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

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 ...

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lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
20h 1542901497490456578

#ICYMI: Certain business courts like the Delaware Court of Chancery can be an important addition to a state’s economic foundation. These courts quickly & expertly handle complex business litigation freeing up other courts to handle other cases. Read & RT:

Making Business Our Business

Much has been written about Elon Musk—eccentric billionaire, CEO of some of the most innovative companies in the world and… future owner of Twitte...

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Reply on Twitter 1542901497490456578Retweet on Twitter 15429014974904565781Like on Twitter 1542901497490456578Twitter 1542901497490456578
lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
30 Jun 1542629262443905024

Fighting lawsuit abuse keeps our courts fair and our economy strong. Learn more →

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

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Texans for Lawsuit Reform
1701 Brun Street
Houston, Texas 77019

Ph. 713-963-9363
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