Witnesses shed light on a “Web of Exploitation” in Texas’ Broken Legal System

Washington, D.C. – Protecting American Consumers Together (PACT), a 501(c)(4) national advocacy and educational organization, today released the following statement following the first round of public testimony this morning on HB 4806, legislation that would address lawsuit abuse in Texas:

“This morning’s testimony demonstrated the urgent need for lawsuit abuse reform in Texas, as witness after witness called attention to a system that leads victims into a ‘web of exploitation’ and raises prices for all Texans,” said PACT Executive Director Lauren Zelt. “We applaud those that came forward to advocate for reforming a system that is currently costing the average family in Texas $4600 every year.” 

Hear from witnesses in their own words this morning:

Former personal injury attorney client blows the whistle on the attorney-doctor kickback pipeline. The decision to hire a personal injury attorney “led me into a web of exploitation where I became the target of unethical legal and medical practices under the guise of representation.” 

Chairman Leach grills trial lawyer over dark-money misinformation attacks: “The answer is yes, you do have something to do with it.“

Small business owner: “This is what a $5 million lawsuit looks like in Texas.” 

State Representative Bonnen: This bill will “not inhibit victims of any kind of abuse from accessing the courts, or obtaining full compensation for their injuries.” 

Neurosurgeon Jay Barrash: “What I’m seeing is appalling. I am seeing unnecessary medical care, you can’t call it medical care, unnecessary procedures being done at outrageous billing for what is usual and customary for the same procedure in the world.”

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