By Staff
Feb. 17, 2002
The cowardly manner in which civil justice reform was killed by a trial lawyer Senate committee chairman is another illustration of how unbalanced our Legislature has become. The refusal of state Sen. Bennie Turner, D-West Point, to let the matter come up for a vote was an insult to the hundreds of concerned businesspeople who had urged lawmakers to come to grips with damage lawsuit awards that are spinning out of control.
Mississippi is gaining a well-deserved reputation as lawsuit mecca and, eventually, the state is going to pay a price. Limits on damage suit awards is a logical, reasonable way to balance legitimate interests of an injured party and legitimate business interests.
It's a shame that one state senator has the power to hold the state's business interests hostage.