LLAW urges Governor Landry to sign legal reform bills
Proposed legislation promotes transparency, addresses Louisiana's "jackpot justice" culture
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lana Venable, Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch
225.328.8826 | lana@llaw.org
BATON ROUGE, LA (June 4, 2024) – Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch (LLAW) represents approximately 20,000 Louisianans who are tired of paying the price when our civil justice system is abused. Advocates from across the state want meaningful legal reform so we can all begin to feel relief from the costs of “jackpot justice” that are passed down to every single one of us in the form of higher prices for goods and services. Insurance Commissioner Temple’s comprehensive package of legal reform measures will bring more transparency, fairness, and balance to our system, while addressing the rising cost of everything from groceries to insurance.
Rep. Michael Melerine’s HB 423, which proposes changes to Louisiana’s judicially created collateral source rule, is one of the most important measures to make its way through the legislative process. It now awaits Governor Landry’s signature. We urge the Governor to sign this bill into law to ensure juries have the most accurate information available when making judgement decisions in civil cases. Presently, juries are not allowed to know the actual costs paid to medical providers by insurance companies, only the “sticker price” that is billed to them. This legislation simply brings much-needed transparency to the process.
According to a recent study, Louisiana residents experienced personal income losses totaling more than $2.8 billion, with every single Louisiana citizen paying a hidden “tort tax” of nearly $1000 in 2023. Abuses of our civil justice system also cost the state more than $3 billion last year, as well as more than 40,500 lost jobs. State government losses resulted in more than $230 million, while local governments lost more than $192 million. Additionally, Louisiana has been a fixture on the American Tort Reform Foundation’s Judicial Hellholes list for the past 14 years for having one of the worst civil justice climates in the country.
LLAW has long been concerned with Louisiana’s civil justice climate and its impact on our families and businesses. We believe improved transparency will also lead to more predictability for businesses of all sizes and families working hard to make ends meet. It will also further align Louisiana with other states that have made important reforms, like Texas and Florida, and are seeing the benefits.
We would like to express our appreciation to all legislators who have supported these important proposals, providing a real opportunity to effect positive change for all Louisianans. We are now only one step away from making these proposals law and respectfully ask Gov. Landry to move us over the finish line.
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About Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch (LLAW)
Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch (LLAW) is a high-impact watchdog group with nearly 20,000 supporters across the state dedicated to fixing Louisiana’s broken legal system through transparency, accountability, and lawsuit reform. Visit us on Facebook, X (@ReformLouisiana) and www.llaw.org.
