On Thursday, Governor Brian Kemp unveiled the long-awaited details of his legislative package aimed at ending lawsuit abuse in Georgia.  The Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce is proud to have had several members in attendance at the Governor’s Capitol news conference where he was surrounded by hundreds of hard-working Georgians. It was palpable that the packed room represented millions of Georgians who feel that enough is enough with what can only be described as “jackpot” justice in the state’s civil courts. From large companies such as Waffle House and Home Depot to small companies like the one owned by a friend in North Georgia to nurses and health systems like SGMC Health, I was impressed that chambers and businesses from every region of our state were there to show support for this greatly needed reform.

Call it lawsuit reform, civil justice reform, or even the long-time and over-used tort reform, but no matter what it is called — common sense fairness must be returned to civil jury verdicts in Georgia for one simple reason:  every Georgian pays for lawsuit abuse.  Every Georgian who owns or rents a home, drives a car, owns a business, has a job, or buys anything in a store is bearing the costs of a run-a-way civil justice system.  When a Georgia jury awards a plaintiff an astronomical sum in a verdict because, “the defendant isn’t really paying that, their insurance company is,” insurance rates in Georgia go up.  When a lawsuit is brought because a billboard or TV commercial says that trucking companies are always at fault, the cost of delivering goods increases.  When a patient is convinced that the healthcare industry is rife with abuse and neglect and files a lawsuit, the cost of everyone’s healthcare increases.  And so on, and so on.  When someone is legitimately injured or wronged, we stand by their right to avail themselves of the civil justice system to be made whole for their loss, but in far too many cases in Georgia, that is not what is happening.  Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones summed it up well when he said “insurance is set up to make you whole, it is not a lottery ticket and too many times it has been treated like that.”

In my fourteen years as a chamber President in Georgia, I have too often heard from businesses that they are considering closing simply due to the unpredictable and exponentially increasing costs of insurance. In far too many cases in Georgia, small business owners face losing everything because of a jackpot award. Far too many rural Georgia hospitals have closed and far too many caregivers contend with staggering increases in insurance rates, driving many insurers out of our state and leading many more to never practice in Georgia in the first place. When these things happen, all Georgians lose. 

In the coming days you will likely see ads that will try to paint lawsuit abuse/civil justice reform as a fight between the powerful trial lawyer lobby and the powerful insurance lobby.  It is not.  The fight for civil justice reform is a fight for all Georgians who are tired of rising home and auto costs, who are tired of rising grocery and drug costs, and who are tired of being bombarded by TV ads and billboards that insult their intelligence with offers of easy money through abuse in the civil justice system.

At the chamber, we are passionate about advocating on behalf of our members, businesses, and community. Lawsuit abuse reform is a top legislative priority for us. We encourage you to reach out to us if you have any questions and to reach out to our legislators to show your support for this issue that affects every Georgian.