The Alabama Senate began the difficult task of enacting fair and reasonable reform of Alabama s costly system of civil justice. Specifically, the Senate passed legislation that begins to reform where a plaintiff may bring a lawsuit, amends the rules governing class action lawsuits and puts limits on punitive damages.
New reforms limit venue shopping.
In an effort to get their lawsuits into counties where juries are likely to give large awards, plaintiff trial lawyers have gone to great lengths to file cases in a handful of rural Alabama counties. SB 305, part of the recent package of bills passed in the Senate, attempts to end the practice of filing lawsuits in the most generous county by making the reasonable requirement that lawsuits are filed in the county that makes the most sense. The county where a substantial part of the omissions or events giving rise to the claim took place. The county where the plaintiff resided at the time of the occurrence, so long as the corporation does business in that county by an agent. For actions involving multiple plaintiffs, SB 305 requires that venue be proper for each plaintiff.