Governor Perdue Commends Passage of Tort Reform Legislation

Today Governor Sonny Perdue commended the passage of HB 29 to help prevent the discovery process from being abused by allowing the legal merits of a complaint to be tested before discovery commences.

“This legislation allows the court to determine if a lawsuit is meritless before a defendant has to begin the costly discovery process,” said Governor Perdue. “This will save our justice system time and money.”

The bill requires discovery be stayed for 90 days when a motion to dismiss is filed. Under the legislation, the court may grant a motion for expedited discovery while a motion to dismiss is pending upon a showing of good cause. The court must decide any motion to dismiss resulting in a stay of discovery during the time period in which the stay is in effect.