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Georgia business leaders voice support for tort reform
Posted on Mar 19, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Business and industry associations supporting Gov. Brian Kemp’s tort reform bills Senate Bills 68 & 69 held a press conference March 13 at the Georgia Capitol. Representatives of agriculture, trucking, manufacturers, convenience stores, hotels and hospitals shared how their businesses are being harmed by out-of-control lawsuits.
The Georgia Senate passed the bills the first week of March. At press time, the House is expected to vote on the legislation March 20.
Russ Wilburn, a cattle and hay producer from Barrow County, spoke on behalf of Georgia farmers.
“As a first-generation farmer I have been fortunate in pursuing my dream of farming. For young farmers, like me, the barrier to entry is enormous from high land prices, capital investments in equipment and high input costs that have doubled in the last few years such as labor, fuel and fertilizer. In addition, insurance premiums have also skyrocketed for Georgia farmers who are small business owners. Couple those factors with the majority of commodities suffering from low prices, the future of agriculture can be dire,” Wilburn said. “If we want to continue to produce food and fiber domestically instead of importing it from other countries, we must ensure the next generation has these opportunities without the fear of frivolous lawsuits where the scales tend to be tipped and risk losing what they have worked so hard to build. Whether it is moving equipment down the road, hauling commodities to market or having the general public out to enjoy your farm, there should not be this out-of-control threat of litigation. I greatly appreciate and would like to say thank you to Governor Kemp along with the House and Senate leadership and all those that have worked so hard to bring some balance back to our legal system.”
Wilburn is the Barrow County Farm Bureau president and is a Georgia Farm Bureau 4th District director.
Other speakers included: Michael Edward of Mannington Mills; Haley Bower-Frank with the Clipper Petroleum convenience stores; Frank Phair, vice president of hotel operations for Legacy Ventures; Charles Tarbutton, president of B-H Transfer Company; and Caylee Noggle, Georgia Hospital Association president & CEO.
Charles Tarbutton, president of B-H Transfer Company, discussed how lawsuits are negatively affecting the trucking sector.
“Recent large lawsuit settlements have caused businesses to be pressured to settle lawsuits without claimants proving injury has been caused by the company being sued,” Tarbutton said. “There are over 75,000 truck drivers in Georgia who are the little guy, and we spend every day with a target on our backs. I implore members of the General Assembly to listen to the facts and study SB 68 & 69. These bills will have a long-term positive effect for Georgia businesses and Georgians.”
Tarbutton said one out of 12 Georgia jobs is in the trucking industry, and his company has employees from 325 families. Seventy percent of Georgians depend on trucking to get the goods they use to where they need to go, Tarbutton said.
In response to claims made that the tort reform legislation would prevent victims of sexual trafficking from seeking justice against hotels that turn a blind eye to trafficking or employees who may be involved, Phair said preventing trafficking is one of his company’s top priorities.
“We’ve trained our team members to spot victims of sex crimes and trafficking, and we have security systems and cameras,” Phair said. “The safety of our guests is always our No. 1 priority.”
Phair said his company’s premiums have gone up 119% in four years even though they’ve had no claim against them.
Representing 150 Georgia hospitals statewide, Caylee Noggle said, “We [hospitals] expect to be held accountable for our actions, but we need a fair and balanced legal system so that our providers feel safer in providing health care. Senate Bill 68 is a critical step to continue improving Georgia’s health care system.”
Haley Bower-Frank, with Clipper Petroleum, shared a case brought against an Atlanta convenience store after the occupants of two cars parked in a store’s parking lot fought and a passenger in one of the cars was shot. None of the people involved in the incident entered the store to shop nor bought fuel at the store’s outside pumps. The gunshot victim sued the convenience store citing negligence that it had no security guard on duty.
“It was obvious in watching the video of the incident that no security guard – armed or unarmed – could have broken up this altercation,” Bower-Frank said. “The question becomes do we settle and watch our insurance rates go up or do we challenge and spend money on legal fees. Our industry is under fire. Georgia small businesses need tort reform because the pressure of lawsuits is crushing our business.”
Michael Edward of Mannington Mills said Georgia does not have a fair justice system for businesses.
“Too many lawyers are trying to convince Georgians that they can get ahead by getting hurt and filing a lawsuit instead of working hard to get ahead,” Edward said. “We need tort reform.”
You can learn more about the proposed tort reform legislation and contact your state representatives to ask them to vote for the bills at https://gfb.ag/takeactiontortreform .
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