[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 130 (Friday, September 25, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S11000]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         RECOGNIZING THE CITIZENS AGAINST LAWSUIT ABUSE (CALA)

 Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I wish to recognize today the 
efforts of a group of West Virginia citizens who have joined together 
to address an important issue affecting our state and the nation. These 
individuals, who have formed Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA), are 
working to educate the public about how excesses in our civil justice 
system can be harmful.
  CALA volunteer spokespersons are speaking out about how lawsuit abuse 
means people pay through higher prices for consumer products, higher 
medical expenses, higher taxes and lost business expansion and product 
development. I should note that my own concerns relate to abuse of the 
system which comes in the form of frivolous suits and inappropriate 
delays--not legitimate use of our tort system.
  CALA reports that recent studies of liability costs have found that 
our State has a high lawsuit and liability cost relative to our 
economic output measured as gross state product. As another example of 
the effect of lawsuit abuse, CALA's own survey of all West Virginia 
municipalities last year found an estimated annual lawsuit-related cost 
for our municipal taxpayers to be more than $9 million. Nationally, it 
has been estimated that the costs of our civil justice system averages 
$1200 per person per year.
  Legal reform of any kind is not a simple issue. The legal system is 
essential to provide justice to every American. But that does not mean 
that the status quo is perfect. When lawsuits and the courts can be 
used in excess or result in imposing costs without reason on the other 
parties, from individuals to not-for-profit agencies to businesses, the 
system should be reviewed and reformed if possible.
  I often have spoken about the problems of our product liability 
system. We see the terrible consequences of our country's confusing 
patchwork, slow, and often unfair system of product liability rules 
that need to be properly and fairly reformed.
  The leaders of West Virginia's CALA movement should be commended here 
today. Volunteers such as Robert Mauk of Huntington; Jim Thomas, Sid 
Davis and Mac McJunkin of Charleston; Cuz Blake of Bridgeport; Phyllis 
Garner of Clarksburg; Rick Pruitte of Fairmont; and Sam Chico of 
Morgantown are all working hard to ensure that our State has a strong, 
fair and effective civil justice system that will serve all West 
Virginians and grow our economy and job base. These people give their 
time to speak to community groups, organize educational activities and 
distribute materials to help us all be conscious of lawsuit costs and 
excesses of the system.
  Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse groups have declared September 21 
through 26 to be ``Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week'' in West Virginia. I 
want to commend these citizens for their dedication and commitment and 
to acknowledge this week as time of public awareness on the serious 
issues associated with lawsuit abuse.

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