Congress is close to making it easier for corporations to dodge many of the class-action lawsuits that businesses say are bankrupting them while rewarding lawyers and doing little to help victims.
The measure, headed for a vote this week in the Senate and probably next week in the House, would be the first fulfillment of one of President Bush’s priorities for his second term. But a fragile compromise could come unglued if senators make changes in the bill, such as giving federal judges a little more discretion to keep lawsuits alive.
“If the Senate passes any amendment, then they are jeopardizing” it, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said Tuesday.
Opponents of the legislation say it would only hurt average citizens and let big business escape multimillion-dollar judgments for wrongdoing.
But Bush, echoing business leaders’ complaints, says a judicial system that lets lawyers look for friendly forums in state courts for “junk lawsuits” is tilted against corporate defendants. “Justice is distorted, and our economy is held back, by irresponsible class actions,” he said in his State of the Union speech last week.
For this complete story, please visit Bush Close to Getting Limits on Lawsuits.
