Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company
The New
York Times
June 13, 1999, Sunday, Late Edition - Final
SECTION: Section 4; Page 16; Column
5; Editorial Desk
LENGTH: 182 words
HEADLINE: Tort Reform in Texas
BODY:
To the Editor:
"Some Plaintiffs
Losing Out in Texas' War on Lawsuits" (front page, June 7) and "When the Verdict
Is Just a Fantasy" (Week in Review, June 6) may have given the impression that
tort reform in Texas has tilted the scales of justice in favor of defendants. In
fact, the reforms have worked well to protect consumers' rights to sue while
weeding out lawsuit abuse. It was not a few "horror stories" of outlandish
awards that precipitated the reforms but a growing awareness that the
well-heeled and politically powerful plaintiffs' lawyers had lobbied our
Legislature for years to increase legal causes of action beyond any national
norm in civil statutes.
In addition, the articles did not reflect the
bipartisan nature of the reforms in Texas. In 1995 Gov. George W. Bush worked
with Lieut. Gov. Bob Bullock, a Democrat, and the Democratic majority in the
state House of Representatives to return Texas to the mainstream of American
civil justice.
KEN HOAGLAND
Houston, June 11, 1999
The writer is communications director, Texans for Lawsuit Reform.
http://www.nytimes.com
LOAD-DATE: June 13, 1999
