Yet another op-ed opposing the trial lawyers' 'deep pockets' bill ...

Steven Puiszis, president of the Illinois Association of Defense Counsel and a partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, writes a great op-ed in this morning's Springfield State Journal-Register:

The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association have been wielding its political influence to push Senate Bill 1296.

Tuesday, they went so far as to run an advertisement in The State Journal-Register claiming that Senate Bill 1296 is intended to “protect Illinois families” and to “make sure guilty parties are held accountable.” In fact, Senate Bill 1296 will have the exact opposite effect.

How exactly does the trial lawyers’ plan work in Senate Bill 1296? Imagine you are driving home from work and approaching you in the oncoming lane of traffic is a drunken driver. He crosses into your lane of traffic and plows into the car ahead of you. Unable to stop in time, you skid into the same car from behind. There is minimal damage to your car because the impact was minor and you were not hurt. But the driver of the car hit by the drunken driver is badly injured and he sues both you and the drunken driver. The drunken driver has no money and no insurance, so the injured party settles with him for little or nothing.

Under current Illinois law, the jury will determine your percentage of fault for the accident by taking into consideration the fault of the drunken driver. If the jury determines that the fault of the drunken driver is 90 percent, your fault is only 10 percent. Allowing the jury to consider the fault of all parties makes common sense and provides for a fair outcome.

Click here to read the full commentary.

We also invite you to visit http://www.deeppocketsillinois.com/ to learn more about how you can stop this trial lawyer money grab.

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A slap in the face at fairness

SB 1296 - the trial lawyers' 'Deep Pockets' bill - passed the House Judiciary Committee yesterday on a straight party line vote. According to this story, a full House floor vote is expected next week.

Here's ICJL's response:

"This bill is a slap in the face at fairness, it is a slap in the face of Illinois employers, and it is a slap in the face of common sense," said Ed Murnane, president of ICJL, who pointed out that, under SB 1296, a defendant could be held 100 percent liable in a lawsuit where he or she is only five percent at fault.

Added Murnane, "Fairness and common sense demand that people or institutions that cause injury and damage should be held accountable based on their degree of responsibility - not the deepness of their pocketbook."

Murnane noted that the legislation is opposed by a diverse coalition of groups, including many units of government, such as the City of Chicago, Illinois Municipal League, Illinois Association of Park Districts, the Park District Risk Management Association and the 77-member municipalities of the Illinois Risk Management Association.

"Cities, counties and other municipal bodies are considered 'deep pockets' because they can raise funds through taxation, and would be prime targets under this legislation," said Murnane.

Contact your legislators today to urge them to vote "No" on this disastrous bill.

Cross-posted at Illinois Justice Blog.

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