ATRA REBUTS LITIGATION INDUSTRY'S CALL FOR WHITE HOUSE LITIGATION CZAR

Washington, DC, January 28, 2009 -- Responding to recent media reports that indicate the plaintiffs’ bar, hopeful to expand liability and increase the prospect for lawsuits, is aggressively urging the new Obama administration to appoint a White House litigation czar, American Tort Reform Association president Tiger Joyce today said “the administration is capable of making up its own mind about how it can best structure the processes by which it will assess various policy proposals.

“When it comes to civil justice issues, above all, we hope President Obama and his team will carefully examine the impact that proposed legislation and regulations will have on the economy, job creation, access to health care and fairness to all litigants,” Joyce explained.

“The idea of a plaintiff-biased ‘tort czar’ would be an embarrassment for the new administration,” added ATRA general counsel Victor Schwartz. “We hope the administration will see any federal action that could promote more litigation as a major impediment to President Obama's plans for strengthening the economy and ‘creating or preserving’ millions of jobs.”

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The American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) is the only national organization dedicated exclusively to tort and liability reform through public education and the enactment of legislation. ATRA's membership includes non profits, small and large companies, as well as state and national trade, business, and professional associations.