The Fair Share Act: A Significant First Step in Reform of Liability System

"The Fair Share Act is a commonsense measure that maintains a person’s right to collect damages while bringing fairness, balance, and stability to Pennsylvania’s liability system,"

Harrisburg, PA, June 29, 2011 - The Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Society (POS) today commends Governor Corbett for signing into law Senate Bill 1131, legislation that eliminates joint and several liability for any defendant found to be less than 60 percent liable for causing an injury.

"The Fair Share Act is a commonsense measure that maintains a person’s right to collect damages while bringing fairness, balance, and stability to Pennsylvania’s liability system," said Harry Schmaltz, MD, president POS. "This critical reform will help doctors in their roles as healthcare practitioners and as business people. Our Society’s members thank the Governor for signing important tort reforms into law. We look forward to working with the Governor and General Assembly on other reforms such as certificate of merit requirements and expert witness rules as well as a reasonable resolution of the Mcare Program."

Over the past decade, the Pennsylvania General Assembly has taken many steps toward improving the state’s medical liability environment. With the signing of Senate Bill 1131, Pennsylvania now joins more than 40 states that have taken measures to address the liability concerns of both medicine and business.

POS President Schmaltz also recognized legislative leaders and other lawmakers who championed this vital legal reform. Schmaltz noted that Senators Jake Corman, Jeff Piccola, John Rafferty, John Gordner, Don White along with their leaders President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati and Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi were instrumental in the bill’s passage. On the House side, acknowledged Representatives Curt Schroder and Ron Marsico as well as House Speaker Sam Smith and Majority Leader Mike Turzai for their steadfast efforts to achieve liability reform.

POS is a professional medical specialty organization representing more than 1000 orthopaedic surgeons across Pennsylvania in advocating for excellence in the practice of orthopaedic medicine. For more information on the importance of bone, joint and muscle health at every age, visit the POS website at www.paorthosociety.org.

Contact:
Beth Weachter
PA Orthopaedic Society
510 North Third Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
717-909-8901
beth@paorthosociety.org
http://www.paorthosociety.org/

This release was published on openPR.