(The Center Square) – Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill Monday that would change the state’s legal climate, supporters said.
The tort reform package passed by the General Assembly would require attorneys to focus on actual pain and suffering during a civil trial but does not place a limit on a jury’s award, according to Kemp’s office.
Businesses would only be held responsible for what they “directly control,” according to the bill.
Supporters said the bill would lower insurance costs in the state.
“My position on this important issue has not changed – these are not anti-lawyer or pro-insurance bills, these are pro-Georgia bills,” said Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. “From the extensive debate we saw on this issue, it is clear that the environment we are in right now is not playing well consistently and something had to change to level the playing field. These much-needed reforms, which I was proud to support, strike a balance by stabilizing insurance costs for businesses and consumers, while increasing transparency and fairness for all Georgia citizens.”
Georgia ranked fourth in the American Tort Reform Association’s “Judicial Hellholes” report, dropping from the top spot only because other states had a larger volume of “abuses,” the organization said. Nuclear verdicts cost Georgians a “tort tax” of $1,372.94 each year, according to the association and costs the state 137,658 jobs annually.
Senate President Pro Tem John F. Kennedy, R-Macon, said the bill “cracks down on predatory litigation financers.”
“This billion-dollar industry, often backed by foreign actors, has no place in our civil justice system,” Kennedy said. “With this legislation, we are upholding the integrity of Georgia’s courts and strengthening consumer protections statewide.”
The issue was Kemp’s top priority during the 2025 session. He threatened lawmakers with a special session if the bill did not pass.
“Today is a victory for the people of our state who for too long were suffering the impacts of an out-of-balance legal environment,” Kemp said.
State business leaders backed the package.
“These new laws will bring much-needed fairness and transparency to a system that has become costly and unpredictable,” said Georgia Public Policy Foundation President Kyle Wingfield. “Georgia has long been recognized as the best state in the nation to do business, and these reforms will help ensure it remains that way.”
Detractors said there was no evidence that it would lower insurance premiums.
Others were afraid the bills would affect claims brought by victims of sex trafficking and rape. The bill was amended to exempt human trafficking victims’ claims.
