CIVIL JUSTICE POLICY

Minnesota’s legal system is out of line with other states. Legal costs continue to exact significant expense on businesses. Minnesota laws should be reformed so they are more fair and predictable.

2012 Legislative Priorities

Appeals
We seek legislation that would provide immediate appeal of class certification and a stay of proceedings while the appeal is pending. Once a class is certified, the costs associated with class-action litigation – i.e. discovery – quickly add up. A stay of proceedings makes sure the class-certification decision is properly made before proceeding with other aspects of the litigation.

Statute of limitations
Minnesota’s statute of limitations should be reduced from six to three years to bring it more in line with the majority of states and reduce legal exposure for businesses.

Prejudgment interest rate
The prejudgment interest rate should be reduced from a flat 10 percent to a variable rate based on U.S. treasuries with a floor of 4 percent.

Settlement offers
If a settlement offer is rejected and the plaintiff ends up recovering less than the offer, attorney fees should not occur between the time the offer was rejected and the end of the litigation.

Action Alerts

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Click here to track priority legislation being lobbied at the Capitol.

Staff: Tom Hesse, (651) 292-4678, thesse@mnchamber.com, Twitter @MCC_THesse

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