Problematic lawsuits


As a recent Cal Lutheran graduate, I have seen firsthand how difficult the job market can be for local residents seeking good-paying employment. While working for a small employer during college, I saw how jobs are lost because of poor policies coming from Sacramento.

California needs to do better at spurring job growth in our communities—and one place to start is curbing the growing threat of lawsuit abuse.

Tort reform is long overdue in the Golden State, as current policies continue to negatively impact both consumers and our economy. Companies must set more money aside to defend against frivolous lawsuits, and this means fewer jobs and higher prices.

Businesses want to stay open, expand, pay their workers and serve customers, but are restricted when the threat of lawsuits are hanging over their heads.

COVID-19 has been hard on everyone, but it has also highlighted how liability protections and other reforms can help limit lawsuit abuse. Right now, our court system is backward, putting small businesses on the defense in costly COVID-19 lawsuits seeking damages payments that most businesses can’t afford.

What’s worse, California business owners have worked overtime throughout the pandemic to protect customers in line with public health guidelines, while staying open to serve their communities. They are being repaid with lawsuits that threaten to shut many of them down for good.

With appropriately tailored protections for businesses, we could kick-start our economy, open up many shuttered doors, bring people back to work and return to the business of serving Californians.

Now is not the time to keep our economy down, but rather to unleash the power of our country’s largest state market. If lawmakers listen and protect the millions of small businesses in our state, we will be well on our way to recovering from the pandemic and beginning a new, prosperous chapter for California.

Nick Steinwender
Simi Valley