Hulshof supported by big business, dismissive of severely injured
A story released in the St. Louis Post Dispatch outlined the sources of campaign contributions to the candidates in Missouri’s race for governor. As expected, Republican Kenny Hulshof is supported by big business and large pharmaceutical companies, while Democrat Jay Nixon is seeing a lot of support from the legal community.
The principle reason for this is the candidates’ stances on tort reform, an issue that has been discussed several times on this blog. Supporters of tort reform, like Hulshof, aim to restrict the legal process and limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in lawsuits. Tort reformers argue that this will limit frivolous lawsuits and lower costs for consumers, but opponents argue that severely injured people are left without the help they deserve to pay for medical expenses.
The Post Dispatch reports that Hulshof regularly uses the title “trial lawyer” as an insult and claims that personal injury attorneys are basically ambulance chasers. This opinion seems particularly dismissive of a group of people that aim to help the sick and injured receive the help they need when wronged by the negligence of others.
Hulshof has already supported limits on damages in civil cases, according to Post Dispatch, and has made it difficult to have cases be heard by judges who were likely to award large settlements.
Once the race is decided, the new governor will appoint judges that will either support the rights of injured citizens or continue to let big business off the hook.
You can go here to read the full Post Dispatch report. You can also view the resources section of our website for more information on Missouri and Illinois attorneys.
