This week Governor Haslam signed a bill limiting non-economic damages to $750,000.00 for people injured by the neglect or even intentional acts of others. It is strange to me that a man who ran for office on promises of making government small has decided that the voters are not smart enough to sit on a jury and determine a fair verdict for the lose of a life. I realize that this blog can sound self serving because my business is pursuing these cases but my feelings are sincere. I truly believe the system works. A juror brings to the system a life of experiences that allows them to determine the difference between a tragic case and a person who is just looking for a windfall. This Tennessee legal system has worked for over 100 years but now our government has decided it is more important to protect a corporation that it is our citizens.
The other bizarre thing about the tort reform law is that it caps punitive damages at $500,000.00. Sure that would be plenty to punish your average small company but do you really think a fortune 500 corporation would care if they lost $500,000.00 if they new the could profit millions on a dangerous drug or product? Throughout history we have seen this happen with asbestos, defective cars & drugs. This law has crippled the one system we had that would allow your average citizen to stand toe to toe with a giant corporation. It is wrong
If you have a question about how this law may impact your case feel free to contact one of the Tennessee civil attorneys at our office.