From the moment I heard Ralph Nader was opening a museum of tort law, I knew I had to go. I love visiting museums, and having worked on lawsuit reform issues for most of my post-law school career, this one really piqued my interest. So, I took a trip to the American Museum of Tort Law to see what it had to offer. What I found was a fledgling operation that needs to reevaluate either its name or its exhibits if it wants to take off. Continue reading
Fairness. Justice.
Rule of Law.
Tag Archives: Tort Reform
American Tort Reform Association Highlights A New Jersey Success
As part of its 30th anniversary celebration, the American Tort Reform Association is taking a look back as significant legal reforms that have been enacted in the past decades. This week, New Jersey was applauded for the transparency with which the state government hires outside attorneys thanks to an Executive Order put in place by Gov. Corzine at the urging of the New Jersey Civil Justice Institute.
In 2009, New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine signed Executive Order 157, which established a transparent process for awarding legal services contracts with private attorneys. The procedures used by the attorney general to hire outside counsel “demonstrate a strong commitment to ensuring the highest ethical standards in government contracting.”
If you want to see more stories in the #ATRA30 series, check out ATRA’s Facebook page.
Gov. Christie Addresses Legal Reformers
On October 21, Gov. Chris Christie delivered the keynote address at the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform’s 15th Annual Legal Reform Summit: The Enforcement “Collidescope”: The New Litigation Paradigm. Continue reading
Why we need to reform New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act (video)
Our friends at the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJCAR) team up with NJCJI president Marcus Rayner to tell us why it’s important for New Jersey’s business community to support A-3264:
A-3264 is sponsored by Assemblyman Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex).
In the press:
Advocates hope bill takes bite out of N.J. fraud law
Does your “Footlong” measure up?
Subway’s ‘distinctive’ footlong
Consumer Fraud Act Should Require Plaintiffs to Show Detrimental Reliance
N.J. bakeries adhere to tradition amid Subway ‘footlong’ fiasco
Tort Reform and @corybooker #TBT
Senator-elect Cory Booker and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg went on the record on tort reform in this vintage Meet the Press segment, circa 2009.
The newly elected Senator defeated Republican Steven Lonegan earlier this week to fill the remainder of the late Senator Frank Lautenberg’s term. Meet the Press host David Gregory discussed healthcare reform options with Booker and Bloomberg in what were the early days of the Obama administration.
NJCJI on Tour
Marcus, Alida, and Emily are hitting the road this summer in an effort to spread the word about the need for civil justice reform in New Jersey! If your organization would like a briefing on legal reform, or an update on pending court cases and legislation that would expand employer liability, please let us know. We would be happy to give a presentation tailored to meet your organization’s needs at one of your upcoming meetings.
Contact a member of the NJCJI team today to schedule a briefing.
Legal Reform & Economic Development
Each day seems to bring additional news confirming what we already know: New Jersey needs to restart its economic engine. The state took a tremendous hit during the recession, and has yet to fully recover. The state’s unemployment rate remains high, and the budget gaps continues to widen as revenue collections miss their targets.
While the government does not and cannot create the jobs needed to buoy the economy in and of itself, it does have many tools at its disposal. Unfortunately, the government’s most oft-used implements, tax policy and government spending, are not producing the results the state so desperately needs. If New Jersey wants to completely and quickly escape the recession, legal reform must become part of the state’s economic development plan.
Credit Card Receipt Spawns Class Action
This is becoming a common refrain from small business owners in New Jersey thanks to an increasing number of state laws that encourage regulation by litigation.
The High Cost of Litigation
A new ad from the Florida Chamber and the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform illustrates the high cost of lawsuit abuse. Florida families pay as much as $3,400 a year from the “detrimental effect that plaintiffs’ trial lawyers have on the state’s court system.”
Snow Contractors Lobby Legislators for Common Sense Legal Reform
NJCJI played host to the New Jersey contingent of the Accredited Snow Contractors Association this week when ASCA came to the New Jersey State House to lobby legislators on the need for liability reform that protects their businesses from frivolous slip and fall lawsuits.
ASCA members provide snow and ice management services to business and homeowners, often in conditions many would deem the worst winter has to offer. They are our heroes during the worst winter, but they are also increasingly becoming the targets of questionable slip and fall lawsuits.