New product liability bills; congressional effort to supplant state laws resumes

Article Abstract:

Senate bill 640 is the latest attempt by federal legislators to supplant state product liability law. The bill has been sent to the Judiciary Committee for approval, and could be debated in the Senate as early as spring 1992. The bill would make punitive damages tougher to prove, punishes those who refuse settlement and then go on to lose the next case, reduce joint and several liability for non-economic damages, and impose a two-year statute of limitations on product liability actions. The ABA and consumer groups oppose the bill, while the Bush administration and many business leaders support it.

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Hard time; mandatory minimum sentencing comes under congressional scrutiny

Article Abstract:

The ABA has joined a number of groups questioning the efficacy of mandatory minimum sentencing and urging Congress to hold hearings on the subject. This controversy was highlighted in Aug 1991 with a report from the US Sentencing Commission stating that mandatory minimum sentences clash with the idea behind the sentencing guidelines and increase race discrimination in sentencing. The ABA believes this penalty makes the sentencing process so rigid as to subvert justice and fuels false hopes in the public as to the practice's crime-fighting efficacy.

Standards, Sentences (Criminal procedure)

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Seeking cures for a veto: Congress tries again to shape a products liability bill the president can like

Article Abstract:

A federal products liability law may be on the agenda of the 105th Congress, despite a presidential veto of tort reform legislation in 1996. Bill Clinton vetoed the original bill because he believed it would ultimately hurt the public, a view echoed by the ABA. Clinton also disagreed with the plan to cap punitive damages. Congressional opponents of federalized tort laws claim state product liability laws are sufficient.

Product Liability, United States, Tort reform

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