Orrin Hatch: “I am very concerned about it because I believe this amendment would undermine much of what our tort reform efforts on…”

“I am very concerned about it because I believe this amendment would undermine much of what our tort reform efforts on the floor of the Senate really are about and undermine what we have been trying to do this week. Senator Thompson's amendment, as I view it, would strictly limit the coverage of tort reform legislation and, in my opinion, would take the whole substance out of this legislation. Only 4 to 5 percent of tort cases are filed in our Federal courts. That is still a significant number, but it is still only 4 to 5 percent. Thus, under the Thompson amendment, the vast majority of litigation abuses in this country would go unchecked if his amendment is adopted. Plaintiffs would be able to sue in State courts to avoid having their suits subject to the Federal law. The end result is that defendants may be subjected to vastly different substantive legal standards, depending on the whims or designs of plaintiffs, and that simply is not fair.”