2.19.2005
Bush Signs Class-Action Changes Into Law (WashingtonPost.com)
By John F. Harris and William Branigin
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, February 18, 2005; 12:40 PM
President Bush today signed legislation that rewrites the rules for class-action lawsuits, opening a second-term campaign he said was aimed at "ending the lawsuit culture in our country."
In a ceremony to sign the Class Action Fairness Act, which was passed by the House yesterday and became the first bill to be signed by the president in 2005, Bush vowed to work for passage of "meaningful legal reforms" to curb medical malpractice and asbestos lawsuits.
"There's more to do," Bush said, arguing that medical liability lawsuits are driving up the cost of health care and that asbestos litigation has bankrupted dozens of companies and eliminated thousands of jobs. "I'm confident that this bill will be the first of many bipartisan achievements in the year 2005."
The class-action law is a measure Bush has sought for years. Its swift passage in the new Congress illustrates the expanded influence of Republicans and their business supporters. It is designed to funnel most such lawsuits from state courts to the federal system, a procedural change that could have substantive implications. Business groups sought the change because federal courts traditionally have been less sympathetic to class-action cases brought by plaintiffs who claim to have been victimized by corporate fraud or negligence.
(More ... Bush Signs Class-Action Changes Into Law (washingtonpost.com)) ¶ 11:10
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, February 18, 2005; 12:40 PM
President Bush today signed legislation that rewrites the rules for class-action lawsuits, opening a second-term campaign he said was aimed at "ending the lawsuit culture in our country."
In a ceremony to sign the Class Action Fairness Act, which was passed by the House yesterday and became the first bill to be signed by the president in 2005, Bush vowed to work for passage of "meaningful legal reforms" to curb medical malpractice and asbestos lawsuits.
"There's more to do," Bush said, arguing that medical liability lawsuits are driving up the cost of health care and that asbestos litigation has bankrupted dozens of companies and eliminated thousands of jobs. "I'm confident that this bill will be the first of many bipartisan achievements in the year 2005."
The class-action law is a measure Bush has sought for years. Its swift passage in the new Congress illustrates the expanded influence of Republicans and their business supporters. It is designed to funnel most such lawsuits from state courts to the federal system, a procedural change that could have substantive implications. Business groups sought the change because federal courts traditionally have been less sympathetic to class-action cases brought by plaintiffs who claim to have been victimized by corporate fraud or negligence.
(More ... Bush Signs Class-Action Changes Into Law (washingtonpost.com)) ¶ 11:10
