The Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association’s PMA Perspective recently hosted a roundtable discussion on Covid-19 liability protections. Guests included PA Senate Judiciary Chair Lisa Baker, PA House Judiciary Chair Rob Kauffman, PA Health Care Association President & CEO Zach Shamberg, and Curt Schroder, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Coalition for Civil Justice Reform. You can watch and…
Coalition Updates
Senate Rejects Emergency Process for Two-Year Window to Bring Time Barred Claims
A constitutional amendment employing an emergency process to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution will not be part of the May 2021 Primary ballot – or any ballot in the near future. The emergency amendment would have given victims of child sexual abuse a two-year window in which to file civil lawsuits otherwise barred by statutes of…
PCCJR Making A Difference in Court
Two cases were decided recently in which PCCJR participated through filing amicus briefs, otherwise know as “friend of the court” briefs. We are pleased to report that the Pennsylvania Superior Court upheld the trial court’s decision to transfer venue in Dockery vs. Thomas Jefferson Hospital. At issue was the constitutionality of Pennsylvania’s Medical Liability Venue Statue and the…
New Covid-19 Liability Protection Bill Introduced
Senate Judiciary Committee Chair, Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne), has re-introduced PCCJR supported Covid-19 liability protection legislation (SB 273). This bill will protect manufacturers, health care organizations, and businesses open to the public by shielding them from predatory Covid-19 injury lawsuits. In November 2020, Governor Tom Wolf vetoed a similar bill (HB 1737). Thanks to the heroic…
Plaintiffs Firms Spend Over $34 Million on Covid-19 Advertisements
The trial bar clearly plans to profit off the pandemic. The American Tort Reform Association released a report revealing that from March through December of 2020, 176,053 advertisements for legal services and/or soliciting legal claims mentioning COVID-19 or coronavirus aired in the United States at an estimated cost of $34.4 million. Pennsylvania is at the top…
Agritourism Bill Passes the House
Farmers engaged in pick-your-own businesses, corn mazes and other Agritourism activities are one step closer to having more protections from unnecessary liability risks. H.B. 101 (formerly H.B. 1348) passed the House on February 5, 2021 by a vote of 142-60. The bill now moves on to the Senate where it will first be considered by…