The American Insurance Association said that hopes were dashed last week when supporters witnessed HB 4979, an Illinois court venue reform proposal, go down in defeat in the Ill. House Judiciary I – Civil Law Committee on a partisan vote of 6-8-0.
Illinois claimss three of the six jurisdictions described by the American Tort Reform Association as “judicial hellholes.” The AIA, along with other advocates of court reform, sponsored a bill in the Illinois Senate and one in House hoping to eliminate venue shopping as well as frivolous lawsuits.
HB 4978 had solid support from a variety of insurance and business groups including the Illinois Civil Justice League, American Insurance Association, Ill. Chamber of Commerce, Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, Allstate, and Caterpillar. Opponents were the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, the AFL-CIO, Citizen Action and the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, among others.
According to the AIA any hope that the bill will receive further consideration in the legislature this year is slim, but at the suggestion of the committee chairman, supporters of the bill plan to pursue a dialogue with the opponents to see if common ground can be found.
jjwiedem says: 
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