Tort Reform Jeopardizes Constitutional Rights

Attorney Christopher K. Yarbro wrote in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch (2/24) op-ed, “Politicians, pundits and physicians are casting stones against individuals who seek help from the court system for substandard medical treatment. Campaigns for tort reform are re-emerging on the heels of the recent midterm elections and the controversial federal healthcare law.” Yarbro refuted arguments that malpractice claims increase physicians’ insurance premiums, citing an Americans for Insurance Reform Study tying rate increases to “declining interest rates and investments.” Additionally, an American Association for Justice “analysis in 2008 of financial statements filed by the 10 largest malpractice insurers found that the average profits of these companies are higher than 99 percent of all Fortune 500 companies.” Yarbro argued, “this renewed call for tort reform casts in jeopardy the very safeguards of liberty and free government our founding fathers sought” by jeopardizing constitutional rights.