Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signs tort reform bills into law. What does that mean? We explain
The bills comprise a comprehensive tort reform package, lauded by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, as a generational step protecting families, businesses, and the state's economy.
"Today is a victory for the people of our state who for too long were suffering the impacts of an out-of-balance legal environment," said Governor Brian Kemp in a press release. "While there was great passion on all sides of this issue, I am grateful for the diligent work of Commissioner John King and his office in studying this issue, the leadership of Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones and Speaker Jon Burns, the unrelenting work of Senate President Pro Tempore John F. Kennedy and House Majority Whip James Burchett, as well as Chairmen Brian Strickland and Rob Leverett for leading a thorough review, and the thoughtful deliberation of our legislative partners in the General Assembly.
"As a result of this collective effort and outpouring of support from Georgians of all backgrounds, Georgia continues to move in the right direction as we work to stabilize costs and compete for economic opportunities that will create good paying jobs for hardworking Georgians across our state."
What is tort reform?
Tort reform is a set of changes to the civil justice system that limit the ability of people to file lawsuits and the amount of compensation they can receive, according to Wikipedia.
Supporters of tort reform argue that this will lead to fairer outcomes, while critics worry it could unfairly penalize victims.
Here is a breakdown of the specific policy areas addressed by the legislation, according to the press release:
Reevaluates the standard for negligent security liability ('premises liability')
Truthful calculation of medical damages in personal injury cases ('phantom damages')
Eliminates the ability to arbitrarily anchor pain and suffering damages to a jury ('anchoring')
Bifurcated trials
Allow a jury to know whether the plaintiff wore their seatbelt ('admissible seatbelt evidence')
Eliminate double recovery of attorney's fees
Eliminate plaintiff dismissal during trial
Motion to dismiss timing changes
Reforming and bringing transparency to third party litigation funding
How does tort reform affect people?
Tort reform basically gives new requirements for filing a lawsuit. It also limits the amount of recovery someone can get from a lawsuit, according to medmalfirm.com.
For more details about tort reform, visit gov.georgia.gov.
Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: What is tort reform? Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signs it into law
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