Cyrus Dugger

US Chamber of Commerce Attacks Your Right to Access the Courts

As people in targeted states now realize, the Chamber of Commerce is running adds derailing the jobs lost to a wave of “frivolous” lawsuits and the resulting need for tort “reform” of the civil justice system.

One particular focus of these adds is Illinois…

“Illinois is portrayed as being in poor shape, but is it? The advertising campaign recently launched by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Illinois Campaign for Legal Reform (ILR) and the Illinois Civil Justice League (ICJL) calls to question the role of the Chamber of Commerce in encouraging business and what type of justice the ICJL advocates. The ads they call “Faces of Lawsuit Abuse” are television ads that claim that “frivolous lawsuits” are forcing businesses out of Illinois. One only has to look at the business climate in Madison and St. Clair counties to wonder if anyone in Southwestern Illinois can take these ads seriously.”

For those being targeted by these adds, here are some documents debunking their assertions about the need for tort “reform” in Illinois because of a “failing” economy.

The Illinois “Tort Tax” Scam

The Facts About the Illinois Economy

Here is a further discussion of Illinois’ economy and tort “reform.”

The ads they call “Faces of Lawsuit Abuse” are television ads that claim that “frivolous lawsuits” are forcing businesses out of Illinois. One only has to look at the business climate in Madison and St. Clair counties to wonder if anyone in Southwestern Illinois can take these ads seriously. Where shall we start? According to The Alliance of Edwardsville and Glen Carbon, nearly $61 million in new construction and development projects were under way in the two communities in the first six months of 2006, not including projects in unincorporated areas. Then, there’s Edwardsville Crossing, the new $58-million Dierbergs complex under way in Edwardsville and Glen Carbon. These stores are not included in the retail sales figures for 2005 which increased to $543,585,257 over the years since 1996 when retail sales totaled $173,083,863. In Collinsville, look at the recent $5.8 million expansion at the Gateway Center which added 32,500 square feet to the already large convention center. Then there’s the Gateway Commerce Center in Edwardsville where more than 10 million square feet of distribution warehouses are located on the 2,300 acre business park at the intersection of Interstates 255 and 270. The 450,000 square-foot retail center Koman Properties is developing in Collinsville on Route 157 is just one of Koman’s projects in the area which include the Nameoki Village area in Granite City. A California developer plans to invest $400 million in Caseyville for the largest upscale residential and retail development in southwestern Illinois. Housing development valued at $13 million is taking place in Madison and Venice. Shall we mention the many housing developments in Glen Carbon, Edwardsville, Maryville, Pontoon Beach, Shiloh, Troy and several other communities in Southwestern Illinois? Or the expansions at Southwestern Illinois College and Anderson Hospital? Redevelopment is occurring too, as the River’s Edge Business Park replaces the former Charles Melvin Price Support Center in Granite City and Alton Steel breathes new life into the former Laclede Steel. Some say the television ads are being aired in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. “The corporate front groups seem utterly unconcerned with being honest about the actual business climate of Illinois, which is, in fact, strong and growing,” states Mark Fraley, acting director of the Center for Justice and Democracy-Illinois. As for a good place to do business, Illinois is ranked 13th among the 50 states and Chicago is rated the top place to locate a business. Three Illinois metropolitan areas also rank in Forbes magazine’s top 150 places. In their television ads, the ILR and the ICJL are recommending that Illinois enact more so-called “tort reform” laws to overhaul the civil justice system in the state. Tort reform means setting limits on how much an injured party can collect to compensate for loss of health or other damage. “These ads are geared towards persuading Illinois lawmakers to adopt unfair laws that would block injured consumers’ access to the courts and remove accountability for negligent corporations,” said Fraley. “Such laws would give oil, tobacco, and insurance companies undue control over Illinois courts.”

If you or your organization is interested in learning more about or working on these types of civil justice issues, please feel free to contact me at cdugger@drummajorinstitute.org.

Cyrus Dugger
Senior Fellow in Civil Justice
Drum Major Institute for Public Policy

Posted at 10:16 AM, Oct 18, 2006 in Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)