WV CALA hosts "Create Jobs, Not Lawsuits" roundtable discussion

Last week, West Virginia Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse gladly took part in the “Create Jobs, Not Lawsuits” tour – a national campaign supported by Sick of Lawsuits and Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse groups across the country to bring attention to the effects of lawsuit abuse on our economy.

As part of the West Virginia “tour stop,” WV CALA hosted a lengthy roundtable discussion with local job providers and other members of the business community concerned about the impact of lawsuit abuse on our state’s economy. The message that came out of our useful discussion was clear – West Virginia still needs to do more to fix its legal climate.

Participants suggested a number of reforms that would help stop lawsuit abuse in West Virginia, and bring our state back into the legal mainstream. One reform frequently mentioned was legislation aimed at providing a meaningful “offer of judgment” – a measure which would help deter the pursuit of baseless claims by requiring parties to pay the costs of litigation if they turn down a reasonable offer of settlement and subsequently lose their case.

Other measures discussed included the ongoing need for an intermediate appeals court in West Virginia and “fair share” legislation which would protect West Virginians from paying for damages that they didn’t actually cause.

It’s no secret that legal reform does work.  States that have passed legal reforms have seen meaningful job growth.  That’s why nearly half of the fifty states passed reform measures of one variety or another last year alone.

WV CALA hopes that this and other roundtable discussions will help make legal reform a priority for our state before our economy falls even further behind.