Lawsuit Reform Gaining Ground in Congress
Lawsuit reform is quickly moving in Congress. A handful of proposals, some of which are based on ALEC model policy, have been included in Speaker Ryan’s A Better Way Plan and are moving through the legislative process.
The Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act removes incentives for attorneys to file blatantly frivolous lawsuits and rescind them at the last moment before sanctions can be imposed.
The Innocent Party Protection Act discourages attorneys from fraudulently adding an innocent local business to a lawsuit in order to keep a lawsuit in state court where lax standards often benefit plaintiffs’attorneys.
The Fairness in Class Litigation Act improves the standards for joining cases into a class action, aiming to minimize abuse of the class action mechanism.