CRAIGforCONGRESS

Missouri's 7th District, U.S. House of Representatives

  
 

 

 

Congressional Issues 2010
MISSOURI FARM BUREAU
Liability



Missouri Farm Bureau

Kevin Craig - "Liberty Under God"

With rising liability judgments and the rising cost of insurance against such judgments, we believe more fair and equitable guidelines, preferably on a national basis, should be adopted to help solve liability disputes. We support the tort reforms enacted in Missouri. We believe there should be a maximum cap on punitive damages at $250,000 for liability suits. Government encourages the "entitlement" mentality, the idea that one can get "something for nothing." Government encourages envy against the rich. These motivate most huge jury awards. Giving government more power to counteract the stupidity of government-created juries is both symptomatic and counter-productive. It also precludes justice in cases where a large award is actually just and fair.
Joint and several liability rules should provide that no defendant would be required to pay more than their just share of the fault.  
In addition, we would support penalties for individuals who bring civil suits that are without foundation and are of a frivolous nature.  
A person who has been injured while in the act of committing a crime should not be allowed to sue for damages.  
We believe lawyers should not receive attorney's fees in liability cases that they solicit, file, and in which no judgments are awarded. Any plaintiff and their attorney who initiate a lawsuit should be responsible for all litigation costs, including defendant's attorney fees, if the plaintiff loses. This would not apply to lawsuits against governmental entities.  
It is estimated that liability insurance, lawsuits and resulting settlements costs consumers $300 billion per year. Farm Bureau needs to take the lead in educating people and changing attitudes of our "sue happy society."  
We support reforms in the state tort system to limit the liability of volunteer emergency response organizations such as volunteer fire districts, rescue squads, etc.  
We believe there should be limits on liability suits pertaining to not-for-profit public places, organizations, and events.  
In an effort to control the costs of liability insurance, we support legislation which would limit the liability of activities, such as county fairs and horse shows.  
We believe that when lawyers handle civil suits on a contingency basis they should be required to disclose these arrangements.  

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