Henry vetoes lawsuit reform bill
Henry vetoes lawsuit reform bill

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Published: May 9, 2008

Gov. Brad Henry has vetoed lawsuit reform legislation he says conflicts with an Oklahoma Supreme Court decision on a similar bill that the court found unconstitutional.

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Henry issued the veto on Friday, two days after the measure received final passage in the Oklahoma House.

The bill would require injured people to obtain certificates of legal merit from experts in order to file professional malpractice lawsuits. Henry said he had no choice but to veto the bill because the state's highest court had already struck down a similar statute.

In 2006, justices ruled that the cost associated with certificates of merit placed an undue financial burden on citizens seeking access to justice.

The governor says the bill he vetoed was in direct conflict with that Supreme Court ruling.


 

Related Topics: U.S. State Government, U.S. Government, Judiciary, U.S. Courts, Civil Trials, Trials

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The cockroaches win!
Jerry L., Guthrie - May 10, 2008 at 9:07 am
Kevin, the point is there would be no winners or losers by this bill. It would have done something which the Supreme Court says the State Constitution prohibits. The only people who would have won were politicians trying to score points prior to the fall elections.
Steve, Oklahoma City - May 9, 2008 at 11:33 pm
Uh, I'm confused here. Who wins? Lawyers, again?
Kevin, Oklahoma City - May 9, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Neal, there is approximately 5% fraud in Workers' Compensation from employees, employers and insurance companies. The Attorney General prosecutes these cases but does not focus nearly as much enforcement on employers and insurance carriers as he does individual workers. In any event, the bill for which this story was written had nothing whatsoever to do with Workers' Compensation.
Steve, Oklahoma City - May 9, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Have you ever considered the fact that some people try to abuse the workers compensation system-- I know it is hard to believe but it is true. When they succeed we all pay for it! Truly injured persons have nothing to fear with this bill.
Neal, Marlow - May 9, 2008 at 6:26 pm
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What's great is they had time to pass this even though they knew it would fail, but the English only law? The calendar was too full for that. I guess that illustrates what happens in the state house when the legislature has to choose between solving issues of public concern and issues of private concern.
Kevin, Oklahoma City - May 9, 2008 at 6:05 pm
You mean to tell me that not one of those lawyer type legislators knew this? I think I see why the Literacy Council needs to teach 100,000 or so residents to read... start with the State Legislature!
Dennis, Oklahoma City - May 9, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Absolutely.
Just another ploy by "reformers" to make it harder for those injured by reckless doctors to receive the compensation they deserve.
Another "rich get richer" scheme (naturally).
Jeff, Oklahoma City - May 9, 2008 at 4:24 pm
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I'm glad the governor exercised his veto power here. I agreed with the prior law regarding medical opinions for medical malpractice cases but the Supreme Court says it violates our Constitution. Since such measures violate our Constitution, the legislature needs to stop passing vain and useless acts to score political points.
Steve, Oklahoma City - May 9, 2008 at 4:00 pm

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