Published: March 11, 2008 09:39 am            

Lawsuit reform bill nearly ready to go to vote

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By TESA CULLI

tesa.culli@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — A House bill that would reform where lawsuits can be filed is expected to come out of committee and be ready for a vote on Wednesday.

“If it’s not voted on this week, chances are it’s not going to be voted on,” said Travis Akin, executive director of Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch. “In real terms, this is really ‘it’ for us.”

Akin said the legislation, HB 5289, would put guidelines on where lawyers can file a lawsuit.

“Now, personal injury lawyers take the lawsuit then shop around to file it where they think they can get the best deal for their client,” Akin explained. “The bill would make lawyers file it in a logical place such as where the client lives, where the incident happened or where the defendant is located.”

Akin said Madison County has earned a reputation for being a place where lawyers can file lawsuits and get an advantageous outcome.

The Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch is a grassroots watchdog group comprised of citizens, community leaders and small business people who are concerned about lawsuit abuse and justice reform.

“Personal injury lawyers have turned our courts into their own personal playground and helped Illinois earn its status as the ‘Lawsuit Abuse Capital of the Midwest,’” Akin said. “These trial lawyers travel here from all over the country to file their junk lawsuits in our courts even when those lawsuits have nothing to do with Illinois. When personal injury lawyers file frivolous lawsuits, everyone pays for lawsuit abuse — workers and their families, taxpayers, health care consumers and small business owners.”

Akin said the reputation Illinois has earned is costing the state economic development.

“Illinois’ standing as the Illinois Abuse Capital of the Midwest is limiting new economic development opportunities and costing us much-needed jobs,” Akin asserted. “A recent survey ranked Illinois’ civil justice system 46th out of 50 states for legal fairness. Why would a company want to bring jobs to a state ranked fifth-worst in the country for lawsuit abuse and make themselves a target for abusive lawsuits?”

Wednesday, I-Law will mobilize 10,000 of its supporters to write and call legislators to urge them to pass the venue reform bill, and I-Law will be circling the Capitol with a billboard truck with the message, “Illinois: A magnet for lawsuits. It’s time to end the harmful attraction.” In addition, representatives of the group will distribute refrigerator magnets with the same message to legislators.

“Illinois will continue to be a strong magnet for out-of-state personal injury lawyers until our legislators pass a commonsense venue reform bill that requires plaintiffs to file lawsuits in the county where they live or in the county where the alleged loss or damage took place,” Akin stated. “HB 5289 will do just that by setting reasonable guidelines for where a lawsuit can be filed, which will finally demagnetize Illinois’ harmful lawsuit magnets. As our economy continues to slide, we need to act quickly to turn things around. What we need is for lawmakers to pass venue reform sooner rather than later.”

        

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