CSE Urges YES Vote On H.R. 1115, The “Class Action Fairness Act”

The 280,000 members of Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE) urge the U.S. House of Representatives to vote YES on H.R. 1115, the “Class Action Fairness Act of 2003.”

Today, trial lawyers are using a handful of compliant state courts to fleece businesses with class action lawsuits. These state court “hotspots” are routinely ignoring economic facts while granting massive awards. Consumers and the economy pay the costs of these expensive decisions, while trial lawyers end up collecting enormous financial windfalls.

Overall, the cost of litigation and exorbitant class action awards are a drain on the economy and on prospects for future economic growth. The U.S. civil damages system now costs $180 billion a year, eating up 1.8% of the nation’s output. Litigation expenses have been estimated to equal a 2% tax on consumption – an unnecessary “tort tax” on American consumers. The only real beneficiaries are trial lawyers, who receive huge cuts from the awarded damages.

H.R. 1115 will create a new standard that puts more class action suits in federal court, which tend to have a national perspective and will be more likely to limit unfair verdicts.

H.R. 1115 is one step towards comprehensive tort reform, and we urge the House to adopt the measure.

CSE will count the vote on the conference report to the “Class Action Fairness Act of 2003” as a KEY VOTE to be reported to our members in your state. This KEY VOTE will be used to determine your eligibility for our Jefferson Award, to be presented at the conclusion of the 108th Congress. This award is provided to those legislators that espouse the CSE principles of limited government, lower taxes, and more freedom.