A new bill circulating in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives would significantly expand liability in the Commonwealth with taxpayers footing the bill. The Extreme Weather Recovery Act (EWRA) would allow for uncapped lawsuits against private companies by individuals seeking damages for natural disasters. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform did an analysis…
Coalition Updates
Voters Choose to Retain Liability Expanding Justices
Tuesday’s election resulted in a return to the status quo for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court as voters chose to retain the three justices on the ballot. Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht were all retained overwhelmingly by Pennsylvania voters. The Supreme Court retention election garnered significant publicity as funding poured in to promote…
Senator Dush Demands Answers on Med Mal Venue From Supreme Court
After a hearing on a constitutional amendment to allow the legislature to determine matters of venue, introduced by Sen. Chris Dush, Sen. Dush wrote a letter to the Supreme Court demanding to know the outcome of a review of the Court’s rescission of the venue rule prior to election day. Here are excerpts from the letter: “In…
Judicial Retention Election
On November 4, Pennsylvania voters will decide the fate of three Supreme Justices who are standing for retention for another ten year term. To help voters make an informed decision, PCCJR has published a Guide to the Supreme Court Retention Election. View the guide to see how the justices standing for retention voted on cases of importance in…
PCCJR Testifies in Support of Venue Constitutional Amendment Legislation at Senate Hearing
Pennsylvania Coalition for Civil Justice Reform (PCCJR) Executive Director Curt Schroder was a featured testifier earlier this week at a Senate State Government Committee hearing. Schroder testified in support of S.B. 125, introduced by Sen. Chris Dush, legislation that would amend the state constitution to give the state legislature the authority to pass laws establishing…
Schroder Discusses Supreme Court Retention Election on Behind the Headlines
PCCJR Executive Director Curt Schroder discussed the importance of civil justice reform, how an unbalanced legal system negatively impacts taxpayers the economy and our state’s job’s climate, and the upcoming Supreme Court Retention Election on a recent episode of the ‘Behind the Headlines’ program. During the interview, Schroder explained how over the past decade, Pennsylvania’s appellate courts have…