Born2BKing
Veteran
This is about to shrink the pockets of a lot of ambulance chasers. 
www.wabe.org
Updated: 2:29 PM EDT March 20, 2025
ATLANTA — The Georgia House on Thursday passed an amended version of tort reform, Gov. Brian Kemp's top legislative priority this term. The House then sent it to the Senate for its final hurdle.
The amended measure, SB 68, passed in a 91-82 vote, reflecting the sharp debate that's emerged around tort reform, or changes to the civil legal process. Among the big features of the bill would be new limits on lawsuit judgment payouts.
RELATED: Kemp's tort reform push sees fierce debate at Georgia Capitol
Gov. Kemp has pushed hard for the bill, arguing it's urgently necessary to maintain Georgia's business competitiveness.
"Georgia's economic success is a lot like football. To quote coach Kirby Smart, 'Humility is only a week away.' And there are storm clouds on the horizon," Kemp said at his State of the State address in January. "Failure to act on meaningful tort reform will continue to put Georgians and their livelihoods in serious jeopardy."
One of the central benefits he's argued the legislation will provide is stabilized insurance rates and businesses, physicians, property owners and others saving money from frivolous lawsuits.
Detractors of the idea have argued it will tip the scales of justice away from victims and toward businesses and potentially exploitative practices. They say there is no proof insurance rates would drop and worry people won’t win compensation when they are wronged.
Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs has argued tort reform "harms victims by limiting fair compensation, protecting negligent parties, and shifting costs to taxpayers" and "undermines justice and the jury’s role, prioritizing corporate profits over accountability."
In particular, victims of sex trafficking have become vocal opponents of the legislative push — saying they were not only exploited by traffickers, but by businesses (such as hotels) along the way that looked the other way and enabled their trafficking.
That spurred Gov. Kemp to introduce an expanded exemption for trafficking victims into the amended version of the bill.
An earlier version of the bill passed the Georgia Senate 33-21.
It also makes some cases have separate trial processes for determining damages and liability, but it tries to make sure they happen quickly. Judges could also scrap the separate processes in a sex offense case if the plaintiff would suffer emotionally or if the lawsuit is for less than $150,000.
Additionally, the bill says that lawyers can offer monetary values to noneconomic damages such as pain and suffering if they bring the same values up in their opening argument and lets them ask prospective jurors about what they would be willing to award. It would let lawyers say whether someone wore a seat belt in a car accident in certain cases if a judge allows.
The bill makes people show whether they had health insurance or other assistance paying a medical bill. Lawyers and doctors dispute whether fair compensation is the face value of a medical bill or only the portion an individual directly paid.
Georgia House passes Kemp’s bill to curb civil lawsuits
Georgia is one step closer to overhauling civil lawsuit rules or tort reform. Senate Bill 68 is one of the most debated bills this session.
Updated: 2:29 PM EDT March 20, 2025
ATLANTA — The Georgia House on Thursday passed an amended version of tort reform, Gov. Brian Kemp's top legislative priority this term. The House then sent it to the Senate for its final hurdle.
The amended measure, SB 68, passed in a 91-82 vote, reflecting the sharp debate that's emerged around tort reform, or changes to the civil legal process. Among the big features of the bill would be new limits on lawsuit judgment payouts.
RELATED: Kemp's tort reform push sees fierce debate at Georgia Capitol
Gov. Kemp has pushed hard for the bill, arguing it's urgently necessary to maintain Georgia's business competitiveness.
"Georgia's economic success is a lot like football. To quote coach Kirby Smart, 'Humility is only a week away.' And there are storm clouds on the horizon," Kemp said at his State of the State address in January. "Failure to act on meaningful tort reform will continue to put Georgians and their livelihoods in serious jeopardy."
One of the central benefits he's argued the legislation will provide is stabilized insurance rates and businesses, physicians, property owners and others saving money from frivolous lawsuits.
Detractors of the idea have argued it will tip the scales of justice away from victims and toward businesses and potentially exploitative practices. They say there is no proof insurance rates would drop and worry people won’t win compensation when they are wronged.
Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs has argued tort reform "harms victims by limiting fair compensation, protecting negligent parties, and shifting costs to taxpayers" and "undermines justice and the jury’s role, prioritizing corporate profits over accountability."
In particular, victims of sex trafficking have become vocal opponents of the legislative push — saying they were not only exploited by traffickers, but by businesses (such as hotels) along the way that looked the other way and enabled their trafficking.
That spurred Gov. Kemp to introduce an expanded exemption for trafficking victims into the amended version of the bill.
An earlier version of the bill passed the Georgia Senate 33-21.
More about the bill
Among its other provisions, the bill would require anyone who sues a business or property owner over misconduct or injuries on their property to prove the owner knew about a specific security risk and physical condition on the property, but didn’t provide adequate security. Business owners, trucking companies and others say they are threatened by expensive court verdicts or settlements.It also makes some cases have separate trial processes for determining damages and liability, but it tries to make sure they happen quickly. Judges could also scrap the separate processes in a sex offense case if the plaintiff would suffer emotionally or if the lawsuit is for less than $150,000.
Additionally, the bill says that lawyers can offer monetary values to noneconomic damages such as pain and suffering if they bring the same values up in their opening argument and lets them ask prospective jurors about what they would be willing to award. It would let lawyers say whether someone wore a seat belt in a car accident in certain cases if a judge allows.
The bill makes people show whether they had health insurance or other assistance paying a medical bill. Lawyers and doctors dispute whether fair compensation is the face value of a medical bill or only the portion an individual directly paid.