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Tort reform group lauds Indiana legal changes

By Leslie Bonilla Muñiz, Indiana Capital Chronicle

Posted July 31, 2024

Public defender facing a group of people seated in a courtroom.

One seat belt evidence change was years in the making. (Getty Images)

The American Tort Reform Association dubbed Indiana a “tort reform trailblazer” in a recent legislative analysis for a pair of changes approved during the most recent legislative session.

One, dealing with seat belt evidence in courtrooms, took numerous attempts and at least 19 years to become law.

“Indiana lawmakers took important steps toward restoring balance and fairness to its civil justice system this year,” association President Tiger Joyce said in a news release.

He called the changes “common-sense” and “models for other states to follow.”

The association highlighted House Enrolled Act 1090, authored by Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie, which allows juries to hear evidence of seat belt non-use or misuse in civil vehicle crash injury cases.

Indiana law previously banned the disclosure of that information. Pressel’s legislation gives judges the choice of whether to admit the evidence.

Opponents — often, lawmakers who are attorneys — argued the measure would lay too heavy a burden of proof on crash victims, or lead juries to take too much money from them. Supporters countered that, if an adult’s injuries are worse because they didn’t use a seat belt, juries should know. Debate often got tense.

“For too long, personal injury lawyers have inflated damages by shielding juries from crucial evidence,” Joyce said. “This reform ensures juries can properly apportion responsibility and award fair compensation.”

A previous attempt to change the law died in a 2023 committee — in a rare failed vote — and didn’t brought to a committee votes during the four years prior.

Similar bills failed multiple times in the 2000s and 2010s. One passed out of both chambers in 2005, for example, but then-Gov. Mitch Daniels vetoed it.

But when lawmakers reassigned the topic to transportation-focused committees over the lawyer-heavy judiciary committees, it survived the legislative process.

The association also celebrated the passage of House Enrolled Act 1160, which tackles third-party litigation funding. That’s when companies help plaintiffs or their attorneys cover legal expenses in exchange for a cut of any potential settlement or award.

The new law seeks to keep foreign “entities of concern” from financing or influencing Hoosier lawsuits. It also requires disclosure of any foreign financing, direct or indirect.

“The litigation funding industry essentially has operated as a ‘Wild West’ with little-to-no transparency or accountability,” Joyce said. “HB 1160 will help prevent foreign influence over domestic legal matters and mitigate potential national security risks.”

His association said “excessive” tort expenses cost Hoosier residents more than $1,000 annually and sap jobs, according to a 2023 assessment by economic consultant The Perryman Group.

Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com. Follow Indiana Capital Chronicle on Facebook and X.