BusinessWeek online recently posted a cover story about how juries have become for favorable for defendants. Their conclusion: due to concerted, organized efforts for liability tort reform on the part of the business community, Texas has been "flipped" and is now friendly to business efforts. The changes include limitations on punitive damages awards; a bar against lawsuits against manufacturers whose products are more than 15 years old; limits on "non-economic damages" awarded to plaintiffs in medical malpractice claims; and a Texas Supreme Court which is very sympathetic to the defendant:
According to Texas Watch, an Austin consumer advocacy group, of the 69 consumer cases accepted for appeal by the Texas Supreme Court during its 2005-06 term, it decided against the consumer in 57, or 83%, a trend Texas Watch says has been consistent for the past six years. "When you have a large verdict that you receive from a jury, you can't settle the case anymore because the defendants will walk in and say: We know we're going to win in the Supreme Court," says Frederick M. Baron, a Dallas attorney who has handled cases involving exposure to asbestos and industrial toxins.
