Mississippi Gov. to Sign Tort Reform Bill

By Jack Speer

Published June 16, 2004 at 12:00 AM EDT

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is expected to sign a tort reform bill Wednesday that places limits on civil lawsuits and jury awards in the state. The bill passed during a special session of the state legislature last week.

Effective Sept. 1, the law will introduce several changes to Mississippi's civil justice system, including capping pain-and-suffering damage awards at $1 million in most lawsuits and $500,000 in medical malpractice cases. Proponents say the measure is a necessary step towards reforming the state's legal system, but opponents claim it protects businesses at the expense of average citizens. NPR's Jack Speer reports.

Jack Speer

Jack Speer is a newscaster at NPR in Washington, DC. In this role he reports, writes, edits, and produces live hourly updates which air during NPR programming.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

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