HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb. 11, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry today praised Members of the House Republican Caucus as they called for an Emergency Declaration on Liability in Pennsylvania.
"Pennsylvania's legal system is out of control," said Floyd Warner, President of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry. "It adversely affects all aspects of our lives -- from doctors who are unable to pay ever-rising medical liability costs to hospitals that are unable to maintain services to our citizens."
Last year, efforts were initiated in the General Assembly to bring badly needed legal reforms to Pennsylvania. For employers, the most significant change was enactment of the "Fair Share Act," which corrected the decades-old problems caused by Joint and Several Liability -- the archaic doctrine whereby defendants with minimal blame were made responsible for paying 100% of damages.
"We're losing jobs and job opportunities here in Pennsylvania," added Warner. "As businesses continue to be hit with outrageous lawsuits, we need to add fairness, common sense and personal responsibility to our legal system."
Warner observed that while Joint & Several was a great victory, the fight to end Pennsylvania's liability crisis is not over. "More needs to be done beginning with the problems of excessive jury awards. This requires an amendment to Pennsylvania's constitution to allow for caps on non-economic damage awards." SB 50 has been introduced to begin this amendment process; it is supported by the Chamber and its more than 10,000 employer members.
With more than 10,000 members representing every county in the Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry is the state's largest broad-based business association and the fastest-growing state chamber in the United States.