TJ Cox: “Mr. Chairman, the tenor of the debate on this entire bill and all of the amendments to this bill is pretty clear: We…”

“Mr. Chairman, the tenor of the debate on this entire bill and all of the amendments to this bill is pretty clear: We have too many lawsuits in America. We have become too litigious. It costs too much money, and simple justice is not being served. The amendment that I am proposing, along with my colleague, Mr. Pete Geren from Texas, advances a simple rule that will go a long way to making sure that fair justice exists once again in our courts. Our simple rule is called the fair-share rule. Under this provision, a person will be made to pay for the damages that he, she, or it caused, but no person will be made to pay for damages that someone else caused. Our rule will hold wrongdoers responsible for their actions, and our rule will permit people who are not responsible for that damage to understand that their conduct will have been rewarded faithfully by the law. The so-called joint and several liability doctrine is really the fair-share rule stood on its head.”