Chris Dodd: “The point is, this is about court reform more than tort reform. About fifteen months ago, as many of my colleagues…”

“The point is, this is about court reform more than tort reform. About fifteen months ago, as many of my colleagues recall, we worked out this bill. We struck an agreement, a good one. Unfortunately, the majority here, last year, decided not to bring this bill up. I believe they made a mistake in doing that. We could have wrapped this bill up in January of 2004 but did not do it. This agreement has been ready for the Senate's consideration for over a year. We have had good debate on some of these amendments, and we have drafted a pretty good bill. It is not written in marble; it is not written in granite; it is written on paper. And we think it is going to provide equal access to the courts. It is going to provide a fairness to plaintiffs and defendants, to see that they get a just decision regarding the matters that are brought before the courts. So to my colleagues who are strong opponents of all of this, believe me, this bill is a simple matter of court reform. It will help ensure that victims of wrongdoing get fair compensation and relief, rather than a raw deal that lines the pockets of those who either allegedly represent them or those who are on the defendant side who want to avoid some of the payments they would otherwise have to make. There are no caps in this bill. It does not impose any rigorous procedural requirements or evidentiary requirements of proof at all.”