Bill with new tort reform measures passes House

If you would have told us that a tort reform bill would pass a chamber of the General Assembly without a days-long debate and a close vote, we never would have believed you. But, it happened on Wednesday when H. 3489 made its way out of the House with a resounding 104-9 vote. Only Reps. Curtis Brantley, Wendell Gilliard, Chris Hart, Doug Jennings, John King, David Mack, Joe Neal, Todd Rutherford and Seth Whipper voted against it.

Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell, who was the chief sponsor of the bill, said in a statement, “This lawsuit abuse reform bill will provide the same fair balance and results our successful Medical Tort Reform efforts produced a few years ago. Businesses will be able to operate and grow without the constant threat of a costly frivolous lawsuit or overly inflated settlement putting them out of business. With the fair balance this system creates, businesses will still be held accountable and our citizens will be protected from wrongdoing.”

The Senate is always a different kettle of fish from the House, but considering the vote was so much in favor, we’d hazard to guess that the bill will move through the Senate without too many problems.