William Helms: “the pending Product Liability Fairness Act, even though it has been watered down considerably by our Democrat…”

“the pending Product Liability Fairness Act, even though it has been watered down considerably by our Democrat colleagues, is nonetheless needed to remedy the morass of product liability laws plaguing our judicial system today. We have a duty to ensure that Americans are fairly compensated when they are injured by faulty products. But today's legal system has been maneuvered into a position of encouraging many people to file frivolous suits demanding unreasonably high damage awards. I am extremely disappointed that the medical malpractice provisions, approved by the Senate on May 2, were deleted because of threats by the Democrats that they would block passage of the entire bill. Americans are suing each other too often, for too much money and for too little reason. Last year, more than 70,000 product liability lawsuits clogged U.S. courts. And by 1992, lawyer fees accounted for 61 percent of the total amount spent on product liability claims. In so many cases, those who are injured least tend to receive the largest settlements, while many of the most severely injured spend years in the legal system, sometimes never receiving the compensation they deserve.”