February 18, 2025, Gov. Evers delivered his biennial budget recommendations to a joint meeting of the Wisconsin Legislature. Republican legislative leaders have said they are going to scrap what Gov. Evers proposed and set aside his non-fiscal policy recommendations.
Continue reading “Gov. Evers Calls for New Ways to Sue Wisconsin Businesses” →
Last session, WCJC successfully advanced through both houses of the legislature SB 613, legislation to create a $1 million per-victim cap on the recovery of noneconomic damages from trucking companies and commercial drivers. Authored by Sen. Cory Tomczyk (R-Mosinee) and Reps. Rick Gundrum (R-Slinger) & John Spiros (R-Marshfield), the aim of the bill was to protect motor carriers from unreasonable “nuclear verdicts” and stabilize insurance costs for the trucking industry. Unfortunately, Gov. Evers (D) vetoed the legislation.
Continue reading “Protecting Motor Carriers, Consumers from Unreasonable Nuclear Verdicts” →
The Wisconsin Civil Justice Council recently awarded several legislators for their work during the 2023-24 legislative session. WCJC presented Reps. John Spiros and Rick Gundrum and Sen. Cory Tomczyk with the Outstanding Leadership Award for their work on Senate Bill 613, legislation to limit excessive damage awards against trucking companies and commercial drivers.
The Wisconsin Legislature stands adjourned and is not expected to reconvene until January 2025. Throughout the 2023-24 session, the Wisconsin Civil Justice Council worked tirelessly to advance civil liability reforms and prevent new civil causes of action from becoming law. This session, legislators introduced many bills proposing to create new private rights of action. WCJC successfully defeated all of them, or else successfully had the legislation amended to remove the new cause of action before passage.
Legislators in Wisconsin introduced a bill that would cap the recovery of noneconomic damages from trucking companies and commercial drivers. The aim of the bill is to protect employers from unreasonable “nuclear verdicts” and stabilize insurance costs for the trucking industry. The bill cleared both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature on February 20.
Senate Bill 52 creates a voluntary training and registration program for commercial applicators of products for snow and ice removal. The program is intended to encourage applicators to use ice and snow removal procedures that also protect water quality, in part by reducing salt use. The Wisconsin Civil Justice Council worked with legislators and stakeholders to draft strong, sensible liability protection language to incentivize applicators and business owners to take advantage of this program.
On October 11, the Assembly Committee on Consumer Protection held a public hearing on Assembly Bill 464, a proposal to regulate nonrecourse civil litigation advance payments in Wisconsin. A coalition of the state’s leading business associations testified and registered in support of the bill at the hearing.
Legislation is circulating for introduction in Wisconsin that would cap the recovery of noneconomic damages from trucking companies and commercial drivers. The aim of the bill is to protect employers from unreasonable “nuclear verdicts” and stabilize insurance costs for the trucking industry.
As is often the case, the first sixth months of the 2023-24 legislative session were largely focused on the biennial budget process. The Wisconsin Civil Justice Council has worked to maintain and improve the state’s civil litigation climate by providing input on the state budget and other relevant pieces of legislation.
Last week, the Joint Committee on Finance began voting on motions to reshape the 2023-25 state budget as originally proposed by Gov. Tony Evers (D) in his executive budget. The committee process, expected to conclude by mid-June, will result in the final budget bill that will be voted on by the full Legislature.