On January 22, Governor Taft was asked by House Judiciary Chairman Scott Oelsanger (R-Canton) to help search for credible data to support claims that Ohio is facing an explosion of litigation and uncontrolled awards for punitive damages.
The request for the number of frivolous complaints filed each year and their outcome is in regard to SB80 that would cap the amount of money juries could award to injured persons for pain and suffering; limit the amount of punitive damages juries could levy; and restrict the amount of money injured persons could agree to pay their lawyers through contingency fees.
Chairman Oelslager’s request was spurred by an article in the January 19th issue of Ohio Lawyer’s Weekly titled: “Top Jury Verdicts Plummet in 2003”. The article said only eight plaintiff’s attorneys reported verdicts in excess of $1 million during 2003, compared with 20 verdicts exceeding that amount in 2002.
The largest single verdict of 2003 was a medical malpractice case for $9.5 million.