Hank Johnson: “I thank the gentleman from Maryland for yielding me the time. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 725, the…”

“I thank the gentleman from Maryland for yielding me the time. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 725, the so-called Innocent Party Protection Act of 2017. This cynically misnamed bill is a Republican Party effort to coddle and protect their corporate wrongdoing supporters by making it harder for injured victims to sue the corporation in State court. A more accurate name for the Innocent Party Protection Act actually would be the Corporate Wrongdoer Protection Act. Make no mistake about it, Mr. Chairman, this bill is my Republican friends' attempt to--it is clear whom they are working for. They refer to corporate wrongdoers as innocent parties. If some day you or your loved one are injured or harmed due to the negligence or intentional act of others, you have the option to sue in State or Federal court based on the residence of the wrongdoers. However, if your case should be removed to Federal court upon a motion by one of the defendants, as a plaintiff, there are grounds upon which you could have the case remanded back to the State court. Republicans want to call this fraudulent joinder. However, a decision to sue all of the wrongdoers in your State court is not fraud. Instead, it is a legal practice dating back over 100 years which provides balance and prevents more powerful interests from choosing which court the case can be heard. They want to stack the deck.…”