COLUMBUS Taft urges limits on civil lawsuits

Taft urged farm leaders to press for passage of a bill limiting damages and fees.
By JEFF ORTEGA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- Gov. Bob Taft pushed for civil litigation reform before a state agriculture group Wednesday, saying that so-called "frivolous lawsuits" are driving up business costs in this state.
The Republican Taft told about 200 leaders of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation that controlling civil litigation was among the most important items facing business and agriculture.
"The most important is containing the frivolous lawsuits that are driving up the costs of doing business in Ohio and even driving some companies into bankruptcy," the governor said.
"This is a big problem for the agricultural industry as well and we need to act," Taft said.
Taft pleaded with farm leaders to press state lawmakers for passage of a bill pending in the Legislature that would limit the size of punitive and noneconomic damage awards and would also limit contingency fees for attorneys.
The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Steve Stivers, a Columbus Republican, has passed the Ohio Senate and remains pending in the Ohio House Judiciary Committee.
Another bill passed by the Ohio House dealing with lawsuit reform is pending in the Senate.
That bill, sponsored by state Rep. W. Scott Oelslager, a Canton Republican, would limit liability claims in asbestos-related cases to individuals with proven medical problems.
The Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers has said it believes that the jury system is capable of determining whether lawsuits have merit.
Preservation
Taft also said his administration was supportive of saving farmland around Ohio.
Through the Clean Ohio Fund, a voter-approved $400 million bond issue for the clean-up of polluted areas, the development of green space and the retention of farmland, more than 11,000 acres of farmland have been protected.
Terry W. McClure, a Paulding County farmer and the farm bureau's president, said the farm bureau supports Taft's call for lawsuit reform.
McClure said the farm bureau also supports other initiatives that he said could improve the business climate in Ohio, including reform of the state's tax structure and state regulation reform.
"We're afraid that slowly we'll become uncompetitive," McClure said of the state's business environment.