Support SB 1478 – Appeals Bond Cap
SB 1478 is authored by State Senator Tom Harman and sponsored by the Civil Justice Association of California. It would place a cap on the amount a defendant must post in order to stay a judgment and appeal a verdict. California law requires defendants to post 150 percent of a judgment to have an appeal heard. […]
ADA Lawsuit Reform – Is It Possible?
You no doubt are aware that there is a group of trial lawyers running around the State of California filing lawsuits against small businesses and even cities are that not compliant with the American with Disabilities Act. The California Commission on Disability Access has spent more than three years trying to get its house in […]
Settlement Claims Legislation? Are you Outraged?
Thanks to State Senators Joel Anderson and Doug La Malfa for exposing one of the Legislature’s dirty little secrets. On February 17th, they wrote an op-ed for the Sacramento Bee titled, “Taxpayers Shouldn’t Foot Bill for Lawsuits Against the State,” in which they discussed SB 730 by State Senator Christine Kehoe, the Chairwoman for the […]
What is a Vexatious Litigant and Who Is One?
You may have heard the term “vexatious litigant” and quickly think of ADA lawsuits, but that is not exactly what the Judicial Council of the California thinks. Under the Code of Civil Procedure section 391 (b), a vexatious litigant is a person who does any of the following: In the immediately preceding seven year period […]
California CALA Kicks Off Create Jobs Not Lawsuits Tour
On February 23, CALA kicked off the national Create Jobs Not Lawsuits tour in Lodi. The tour will visit and team up with other reform organizations around the country in states feeling the strains of lawsuit abuse. Why did CALA kicking off the event in Lodi? It’s a hotbed of lawsuit abuse. It’s an undisputable fact that the California’s […]
Lost to Lawsuits: Fun at the Beach
Recently, we’ve asked what Californians have lost to lawsuits. While we heard many answers from our supporters, one thing we didn’t hear was having fun at the beach. Well, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors took a step toward adding that to the list when it added a few amendments to its beach ordinance at the […]
Prop. 65 – The Shakedowns Continue
One of my legal reform wishes for 2012 was that our Attorney General, Kamala Harris, would take action to stop the lawyers who are running around the state of California suing businesses for violations of Proposition 65. Proposition 65 is the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 passed by the voters and it is […]
CA Courts: A Judicial Funding Crisis
There are many aspects to the legal reform fight in this state and country. A lot of times people just think it is about the trial lawyers and the vast sums of money they walk away with under the guise of helping victims. Or the Legislature and the millions of dollars they have taken from […]
Who Benefits from a Class Action Lawsuit – Trial Lawyers!
Whoever invented the class action lawsuit is probably sipping martinis on his or her 200 foot yacht. The class action gimmick seems to be the lawsuit of choice and it is earning trial lawyers a pretty penny under the guise of consumer protection. Recently, Carol Williams with the Los Angeles Times wrote an article titled, […]
2012 – A Legal Reform Wish List
We are back in full swing here in Sacramento and it would be really nice to see some serious legal reform implemented. Look, I get it, the trial lawyers have spent millions on lobbying making sure their playground is undisturbed, but the people in California are ready for legal reform and they are tired of […]