LA: Auto Tort Reform Stalls in the Senate

On Tuesday, I reported that an auto tort reform bill in Louisiana was going up for a vote in the state Senate Judiciary Committee:

[The] measure would increase the time that victims of crashes have to file a lawsuit from one year to two; reduce the jury trial threshold from $50,000 to $5,000; take away the ability to sue the insurance company directly; plus allow judges and juries to review claimed medical costs.  The bill also includes a provision that if costs go down, the Department of Insurance would push insurance companies to lower their rates.

The committee referred the bill to a fiscal office to determine how much it would cost, likely ending its viability in this session which ends on June 6.  The committee also rejected a bill that would allow a judge, outside the presence of the jury, to decide whether to allow evidence of whether the plaintiff was wearing a seat belt at the time of the injury.

The Advocate has the story.