Currently, jurors are told the cost of a plaintiff’s injury is much higher than the amount that was actually paid to treat the injury. When you’re being sued for an accident, shouldn’t the jury hear the actual amount it cost to treat the injury, not an inflated amount that no one ever paid?

When an injured person receives medical treatment, the provider of the medical treatment “bills” an amount to the patient. In nearly all cases, this is not the actual amount paid to/accepted by the care provider for the treatment – the “actual amount” is usually much lower than the “billed amount.” This is wrong, and we have a chance to fix it.

Amend the law to allow only the actual cost of medical bills to be introduced to the jury. Damages should reflect the actual harm incurred by a victim, not made-up, inflated values. A defendant should not be responsible for phantom damage amounts that were never incurred by a claimant. By capping quantifiable damages like pain and suffering and emotional distress at $500,000 and extending the punitive damages cap for manufacturers, fair compensation will be ensured without burdening businesses or defendants with excessive penalties.

Georgia law allows a plaintiff to forum shop by going through nearly an entire case – all of the discovery and jury selection – and then dismiss the case if they do not like how the judge rules and refile the case in another court.

Following an auto accident, an individual files a lawsuit and goes through the entire procedural process with their trial lawyer. After several unfavorable decisions by the judge, the individual’s lawyer decides to dismiss the case and refile in another court in an effort to secure a more friendly judge who will allow the opportunity for a greater recovery sum. Current Georgia law allows trial lawyers to do this over and over again until they find a suitable judge and jury, costing the defending countless time and litigation expenses. This is wrong, and we have a chance to fix it.

Amend the law to follow the federal rule to prevent the plaintiff from shopping for friendly judges. The Civil Practice Act should be updated to: eliminate anchoring juries to excessive dollar amounts, plaintiffs should not be allowed to venue shop by manipulating the pre-dismissal rule, the jury should be permitted to apportion fault objectively without arbitrary influence, and a jury should be permitted to know when a claimant was not wearing a seat belt.

Landowners are being sued when third party criminal conduct occurs on their property without their knowledge or consent, even when utilizing security measures like lighting and security guards.

During a busy evening at a popular restaurant, a criminal begins breaking into cars in the restaurant’s parking lot. The restaurant’s parking lot is well-lit, but the criminal is not deterred. While leaving the restaurant, a patron confronts the criminal and is injured. This individual sues the restaurant owner for millions of dollars. This is wrong, and we have a chance to fix it.

Amend Georgia law to protect property owners from the acts of criminals which occur on their property without their knowledge. Property owners should not be held liable for crimes on their property they couldn’t prevent or foresee. Eliminating this liability encourages responsible ownership and protects businesses from unfair legal exposure.