WASHINGTON  -  U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) today cast her vote in favor of legislation to place restrictions on class action lawsuits, particularly those with large classes which benefit lawyers without helping victims.

 

“In many class action judgments, the attorneys’ fees total in the millions while the victims of a faulty product or practice are left with coupons worth a few dollars.  Lawyers know where to take their cases to win large awards, and the result is an uneven application of law to very real consumer problems,”  Emerson said.  “Coupon settlements and forum shopping can be greatly discouraged by increasing access
for these class action cases to federal courts, and that is the point of the bill we passed today.  Tort reform and medical malpractice reform are two more major judicial issues facing the State of Missouri and our nation, and I hope for much more legislative progress this year.”  

 

The measure, S. 5, was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives today by a vote of 279-149.  On February 10, S. 5 was passed in the U.S. Senate by a vote of 72-26 and will next be sent to the White House for President Bush’s signature.

 

A similar class action lawsuit reform bill passed the House of Representatives last year as well, but was not taken up by the U.S. Senate.