Oklahoma Republican Lawmakers Roll Out Lawsuit Reform Plan

With the goal of bringing common sense back to Oklahoma’s legal system, reduce health care costs for citizens and create a stronger economic climate, Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Todd Hiett introduced a measure to fight lawsuit abuse, the House Media Services Division reported.

Hiett and Rep. Fred Mor-gan, R-Oklaho-ma City unveiled the plan under House Bill 2047. Morgan will carry the bill through the House. The two lawmakers named it “The Justice & Common Sense Act of 2005.”

Announcing support for the proposal, Senate Republican Leader Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, stated that Senate Republicans are coordinating with House Republican leaders on the reform package. Reforms Republican lawmakers are promoting include a hard cap of $300,000 on non-economic damages; elimination of the “deep pockets” rule, also known as joint and several liability; and a prohibition on forum shopping.

The act filed by Hiett and Morgan would tackle four major areas of reform:

In a separate announcement, Senate President Pro Tempore Cal Hobson, a Democrat, said while he supports efforts to improve Oklahoma’s civil justice system, reforms should focus “on the repeat offenders in both the medical and legal communities.

“Justice, however, is not served by pandering to the interests of big business at the expense of the rights of ordinary Oklahomans or by protecting the very small percentage of physicians who repeatedly harm their patients,” Hobson added.