• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Business / Lawyers dispute business survey on legal climate

Lawyers dispute business survey on legal climate

October 11, 2006 By admin

Iowa business leaders this week touted a survey that found more than 82-percent of their industry group members think the state has a legal climate that hurts job growth. But Brad Lint, spokesman for the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association, says the survey represents perception — not reality.

Lint says there’s no evidence our legal climate or the legal system hurts job growth in Iowa. To the contrary, he says, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in an annual report through its Institute for Legal Reform, ranks Iowa in the top five states with a legal climate friendly to the corporate community.

The business group has asked the state’s lawmakers to impose limits on the damages” for “pain and suffering” that can be awarded in lawsuits. But Lint says there’s no sign of a correlation between caps on damage awards and lower insurance rates for businesses.

“The evidence is mixed,” Lint says. “There are states that don’t have a cap on damages where the rates are lower than states that have capped damages. And there are states that have damage caps that have higher rates, so it’s just a very mixed situation.”

Critics of the attempt to link consumer lawsuits with insurance costs point out that insurance companies invest their premiums, and in years when the stock market takes a beating they’ve been most likely to raise rates, regardless of the number or size of damage awards.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Business, Crime / Courts

Featured Stories

All bodies of missing now recovered from rubble of collapsed Davenport building

Governor signs child care expansion into law

Iowa seniors have until July 1 to apply for new property tax break

Smoke from distant fires creates colorful sunrise in Iowa

DOT’s Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division to merge into State Patrol

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

What may be rare Michael Jordan trading card found in unclaimed deposit box

Hawkeye women to play Virginia Tech

Radio Iowa/Baseball Coaches Association High School Poll 6/5/23

Iowa eliminated at NCAA regional

Iowa names Beth Goetz interim AD

More Sports

Archives

Copyright © 2023 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC