Gary Hart: “I am for class action reform. These lawsuits continue to victimize the victims. Even The Washington Post... said the…”

“I am for class action reform. These lawsuits continue to victimize the victims. Even The Washington Post... said the clients get token payments: 33-cent checks, boxes of Cheerios. In one case, the clients even ended up having to pay. The lawyers get enormous fees. This is not justice; it is an extortion racket that only Congress can fix. That is why we are here today. We are here to fix it. The intent of the class action system is to facilitate large groups who have similar harm caused to them to efficiently recover damages. Recover damages. That is appropriate damages, not 33-cent checks. We are here to change that so that appropriate damages will be recovered. How are we going to do that? We are going to change the system. We are going to make sure that not one small court in one State makes a decision for an entire Nation of victims. We are going to put it in the Federal court where it should be. Recent studies of the class action system show there is a 1,315 percent increase in class action suits filed in State courts.”