Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Georgia Senate GOP leaders backed a measure Tuesday that would overhaul state litigation rules weeks after Gov. Brian Kemp warned that a comprehensive rewrite of tort laws would spill into 2025.
The measure would impose new limits on how those injured in truck driver-related accidents can sue insurance companies. Jones called it a “meaningful step toward ensuring the deck isn’t stacked against either party” in the courtroom.
Notably, the measure is sponsored by state Sen. Blake Tillery, a Vidalia Republican who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and works as a plaintiff’s lawyer.
“This is a heavy lift with a history of difficulty in our body,” Tillery said. “The lieutenant governor’s approach is unique, and I appreciate his trust in me to shepherd this through the Legislature.”
Georgia law now allows “direct action” lawsuits in which plaintiffs can directly sue an insurance company in commercial truck accidents as well as the driver of the vehicle and their trucking company.
The GOP proposal, Senate Bill 426, would bar those lawsuits with few exceptions, such as if the trucking company is insolvent or bankrupt.
Consider the move a power play by Jones, who could run to succeed Kemp in 2026 and would welcome an IOU from the influential business boosters who have long sought the “direct action” legislation. That could guarantee a windfall of corporate campaign contributions.
“We’ve never been afraid of putting things on the floor,” Jones said at a Monday event where he and Senate Republicans labeled the effort a top priority.
“If there’s one thing I’ve heard from business leaders more than anything else,” Jones added, it’s calls to improve the “litigation climate.”
