Oklahoma House Votes on Changes to the State Tort System (Mar 11, 2005)
State Representatives this week voted largely along party lines in favor of changes to the way lawsuits are filed in Oklahoma. Speaker Todd Hiett's so-called "Justice and Common Sense Act of 2005" aims to reduce litigation, put limits on non-economic damages and make it harder for residents to file class-action lawsuits. House Republicans claim the changes are necessary to reduce frivolous lawsuits that they say clog the courts, scare away local businesses and make healthcare more expensive by raising doctors' medical malpractice insurance rates. Opponents respond that the bill will make it harder for average Oklahomans to go to court when they are injured, that it limits trust in juries and that it confronts a problem that's not nearly as serious as it's portrayed. Guests include: Lieutenant Governor Mary Fallin, State Senator Glenn Coffee (R-OKC) and Attorney Patrick Carr of the Carr & Carr law firm

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