As we enter the last few weeks of June, Pennsylvania finds itself in an all too familiar situation. Once again, legislators and the Governor are scrambling to pass a budget before the constitutional authority to spend runs out on June 30. With a projected budget deficit of a billion dollars plus, legislators adverse to raising…
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Civil Justice Legislative Update June 9, 2017
June in Harrisburg is budget season – the busiest part of the legislative cycle. Bills come up fast, committee agendas change at the last minute, and our advocacy efforts are running at full-throttle on behalf of civil justice reform. This week was a particularly active one, and we anticipate busier days ahead as we track…
Restore Integrity to Asbestos Lawsuits
A 2014 bankruptcy case, In re Garlock Sealing Technologies, revealed the dark underside of asbestos litigation. The judge in Garlock found that plaintiff’s attorneys engage in a systemic manipulation of asbestos exposure evidence. Asbestos injury cases proceed on two tracks. On one track cases are filed in court against solvent defendants who often have little…
Pennsylvania Business and Health Care Leaders Join Forces to Seek Fairness in State’s Civil Justice System
HARRISBURG, PA – Longstanding and broad-based concerns about Pennsylvania’s courts being out-of-balance have led a diverse group of organizations and individuals to create a new civil-justice-focused advocacy organization. The Pennsylvania Coalition for Civil Justice Reform (PCCJR) will work to educate Pennsylvanians about problems in the legal sytem and advocate for reforms to help bring fairness…