Legislative Update on HR 985, 725, and 720

Bruce Kaufman, at Bloomberg BNA, has posted an update on class action and MDL legislation pending in the Senate.  The bottom line is that these reforms seem to have stalled (and rightly so, I might add).

As Kaufman writes:

The bills, two of which still lack Senate sponsors, are:

•  The Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act and Furthering Asbestos Claims Transparency Act ( H.R. 985) affects nearly all facets of class action practice, and mandates increased reporting of payments to plaintiffs by trusts that pay out asbestos exposure claims against bankrupt companies. It passed the House March 9 by a 220-201 vote.

•  The Innocent Party Protection Act ( H.R. 725) targets what is known as fraudulent joinder—the improper addition of local defendants to suits in a bid to keep cases in more plaintiff-friendly state courts. It passed the House March 9 by a 224-194 margin.

•  The Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act ( H.R. 720

Kaufman’s full article is available here: https://www.bna.com/businessfriendly-litigation-overhaul-n73014462386/