Trial Lawyer Earmarks Exposed

 

The Chamber has shed light on a new trial bar scheme to bilk consumers and businesses through more lawsuits by quietly inserting into various legislation provisions to increase lawsuit opportunities and provide special tax breaks for trial lawyers.

 

Over the past two years, the U.S. Chamber's Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) has identified 48 trial lawyer earmarks stealthily stuck into everything from homeland security and farm bills to FDA reauthorization and telecom legislation.

 

"The plaintiffs' trial bar has found a pastime almost as enjoyable as filing lawsuits: convincing Congress to pass legislation allowing them to file more lawsuits," says ILR President Lisa A. Rickard.

 

The Washington Examiner points to a strong correlation between campaign donations from the Association for American Justice (formerly known as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America) and the congressional sponsors of the bills. Of the 55 lead sponsors of the 45 bills that The Examiner was able to track, 39 had received substantial AAJ donations since the 1998 election cycle, for a total of nearly $1.9 million in contributions.

 

ILR has launched a Web site and media campaign illustrating the full range of the earmarking effort. For more, go to www.triallawyerearmarks.com/.