Amicus Brief: Tort Reform
The Beacon Center, joined by prominent members of the Tennessee General Assembly (you can see the full list on page 9) filed a brief urging the Tennessee Supreme Court to uphold the constitutionality of the Tennessee’s Civil Justice Act’s cap on punitive damages awards. Enacted in 2011, the Act was meant to promote job growth in Tennessee and provide a stable litigation environment by putting a stop to unpredictable runaway jury awards. The State of Tennessee and several business groups separately filed briefs as well. The Act has come under recent attack from plaintiffs’ lawyers who charge that the Act is unconstitutional. Showing the need for intervention, one judge in Chattanooga even agreed with this assessment, though he was later overturned