Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse

CALA Opposes Proposition 79:
Measure Re-creates the Same Shakedown Lawsuits
Voters Banned by Passing Prop 64

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: MARYANN MALONEY
PHONE: (213) 625-2620
August 12, 2005

LOS ANGELES, CA - Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA), California's defenders of Proposition 64, today expressed its vigorous opposition to Proposition 79, saying the initiative creates an opportunity for greedy lawyers to file lawsuits without proof of injury and without clients, and allows them to pocket all the money in a settlement or judgment.

"This initiative simply opens the door to the exact same kind of frivolous lawsuits voters eliminated by passing Proposition 64 last year," says Maryann Maloney, CALA executive director. "This time it creates a frivolous lawsuit opportunity every time a prescription is filled, which also means higher drug costs for consumers."

Proposition 79 enables lawyers to file lawsuits every time a prescription is filled in California claiming that the price is "unconscionable" or that profits are "unjust or unreasonable," without defining any of these terms. With no clients to reimburse, the lawyers then keep the money.

"This is just the latest attack on our access to and affordability of healthcare by the litigation industry," Ms. Maloney says. "Litigation drives up prices, which in this case might force patients to go off their medications. Once again, lawsuits will be making people sick."

Ms. Maloney says the lawsuit provisions of Proposition 79 would also create one more obstacle to research and development of new and innovative medicines.

For more information on these issues, please contact Los Angeles CALA at (626) 824-8927 or maryann@maryannmaloney.com .

Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse is a nonprofit, grassroots public education organization dedicated to educating consumers on the human and financial costs of lawsuit abuse. The organization has more than 4,000 supporters in the Los Angeles County area. For more information visit www.occala.org..

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