Show-Me State Times

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry has expressed its support for a tort reform bill, SB 1509, which aims to simplify the rules surrounding class action lawsuits. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Curtis Trent (R-Springfield), was recently presented to the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.

Sen. Trent's proposed legislation would introduce several technical amendments to align Missouri’s class action regulations with federal law. “Basically, our certification process is backward from what federal law does. We want to put that in the same order,” Trent explained. He believes these modifications will make the legal process more equitable and straightforward, stating that "the federal law has produced fair and balanced outcomes.”

Among those who testified in favor of the bill was Matt Price, chief legal officer for Diamond Pet Foods. Price argued that Missouri’s current class action process unfairly burdens the defense rather than the plaintiff. “This is a pro-business and jobs issue,” Price asserted. “Most businesses in Missouri are small businesses, with the average business having 14 employees. Yet small businesses bear 81 percent of all business tort liability cases."

He went on to highlight how these companies often lack sufficient resources to combat meritless lawsuits, adding that "in 2020, excessive class action litigation cost Missouri over 55,000 jobs.”

Missouri's legal climate has been criticized as unfair by various organizations including the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, which ranks it 44th in the nation. The American Tort Reform Association also lists St. Louis as the nation’s eighth worst Judicial Hellhole.

The Missouri Chamber is spearheading efforts for reforms aimed at ensuring that the state's legal climate does not hinder economic growth.

In her testimony before lawmakers, Heidi Geisbuhler Sutherland, Missouri Chamber Director of Legislative Affairs, stated that passing SB 1509 would bring Missouri's laws into alignment with those of neighboring states. “This legislation would make Missouri more business friendly,” Geisbuhler Sutherland concluded.