Journal Record – Oklahoma GOPs Push for Civil Amnesty

A new article in the Journal Record has some very candid quotes by our corporate shill Oklahoma Senate leader Glen Coffee. In the article Glen Coffee, blatantly admits that he is against the freedom to contract, free enterprise and other conservative economic theories by virtue that he is threatening to send a referendum to the people lowering contingency fees in Oklahoma if people, including our Governor, will not enact civil immunity sought by big insurance and big corporations (the same corporations receiving federal bailouts). If your unaware Coffee wants to essentially close the courthouse doors by making it uneconomical to pursue a personal injury case via caps, set offs for insurance that the hurt person purchases and limiting contingency fees. Coffee has never provided evidence of a litigation crisis in Oklahoma and his favorite word when pressed on the subject is “anecdotal evidence.” That’s political speak for I don’t have any but I will make some up if you give me time where I can appease my big donors.

In the article Jeff Raymond most aptly responds to Glen Coffee. He states that “consumers who have been wronged would lose an opportunity to obtain justice if contingency fees are so reduced” and aptly explains that “contingency fees are the only way the average citizen can afford to take on a large corporation with virtually unlimited resources and a staff of attorneys.” Thankfully Mr. Raymond speaks the truth, big insurance and big corporations spend millions on staffing attorneys to defend their wrongdoing. What hope do you, the average citizen have unless an attorney fronts the hundreds of thousands necessary to prosecute these wrongdoers. We have seen what they have done to our economic system when allowed to run unchecked, do you now want them to do that to you?