Natural State News with Context
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Ballot Issue 1 Asks Arkansans To Cap Jury Awards, Let Legislators Decide Courtroom Procedures

Bobby Ampezzan
/
ARKANSAS PUBLIC MEDIA
Carl Vogelpohl is leading a campaign to convince a majority of Arkansas voters to approve Issue 1 on the ballot in November; former state Supreme Court Justice Annabelle Imber Tucker is asking voters to reject it.

The 91st General Assembly of 2017, in a decision that brought Supreme Court Chief Justice Dan Kemp over to the old Supreme Court chambers in the Capitol — now the scene of Senate committee meetings — decided to put to voters this November a big cap on lawsuit awards as well as a legislative power grab.

Issue 1 asks Arkansans to accept a constititutional amendment that would cap punitive and non-economic damage awards in actions for wrongful death or injury at $500,000 or three-times the compensatory damage award. It would also cap contingency fees attorneys in civil actions can claim at one-third the net recovery. Finally, it would authorize the General Assembly by three-fifths vote of each chamber to adopt rules of pleading, practice and procedure for the courts up to and including the Supreme Court of Arkansas.

Former Supreme Court Justice Annabelle Imber Tuck says both the jury award caps and the rulemaking authority grab by the legislature is tantamount to special-interest groups seeking influence over the courts.

"The giving of the rulemaking authority to the legislature is basically saying, 'We the legislature do not agree with the Supreme Court in how it interprests its rules or what is a rule, and so we are going to be the ones who will decide," she says.

The Assembly is supposed to represent the will of their Arkansas constituents, it's true, "but the judiciary department is not beholden to contributors. It doesn’t represent a constitutency. It represents the [state] constitution and the laws and so, where I’m coming from is, I'm for the little guy to have a courthouse that is open and available, and also has a jury that can do what juries are supposed to do — with the right of appeal by the way."

Vogelpohl_forWeb.mp3
Listen to full interview with Carl Vogelpohl who's heading up the campaign to pass Issue 1.

Republican operative Carl Vogelpohl is heading up a coalition of medical and industry interests in favor of Issue 1. "It's the Arkansas State Chamber [of Commerce], it's the poultry federation, it's the trucking association, it's the Arkansas Health Care Association, it's the Farm Bureau, it's the hospital association, it's the Arkansas Medical Society."

He says the amendment would not end jury awards or even multi-million awards, and it would not cap punitive damage awards in cases of intentional misconduct.

The language does target medical malpractice suits.

Growing jobs and recruiting doctors, it’s not a single issue, but [this issue] is part of the formula. When we look around at job postings for cardiologists for example, for surrounding states, you’ll see headlines that blare, 'Cardiologists wanted for tort reform state.'"

As for courtroom rules, Vogelpohl disputed that the judiciary is the proper venue to decide rules of "pleadings, practice and procedure" for Arkansas's courts.

"I don’t think that many believe rightfully [pleadings, practice and procedure] should be left up to the judiciary. I think Arkansas voters have the opportunity to make decisions for the state."

This story is produced by Arkansas Public Media. What's that? APM is a nonprofit journalism project for all of Arkansas and a collaboration among public media in the state. We're funded in part through a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, with the support of partner stations KUAR, KUAF, KASU and KTXK. And, we hope, from you! You can learn more and support Arkansas Public Media's reporting at arkansaspublicmedia.org. Arkansas Public Media is Natural State news with context.

Related Content