Coalition Updates: Health Care

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…

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…

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…

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It takes a lot to amend Pennsylvania’s Constitution. The proposed amendment must pass two subsequent sessions of the General Assembly and then be placed before the voters in a referendum. In 2021, several proposed constitutional amendments are making their way toward the ballot. Last week, the House passed legislation that would amend the state’s Constitution…

A bill that could help farmers find much needed additional income to keep their farms going cleared the House Agriculture Committee. H.B. 101 would provide liability protection for Agritourism activities such as corn mazes, petting zoos, and apple picking. Farmers are reluctant to open their properties to the public due to the fear of lawsuits.…