Senate schedules Sept. vote for class action reform measure

WASHINGTON (Aug. 14)—The Senate has tentatively set the week of Sept. 8 to vote on a bill that would make sweeping changes to the nation's class action lawsuit system. In the version of the legislation the House passed in June, any class action involving more than $5 million worth of claims would automatically be sent to a federal court, thus preventing "shopping" by plaintiffs´ attorneys for a state or local venue sympathetic to class action plaintiffs. Tire manufacturers and dealers, along with other businesses, strongly favor the bill, but consumer advocates claim it would unfairly limit the legal alternatives of consumers injured by defective products. The challenge in the Senate will be to amass 60 votes in favor of the class action bill to prevent a filibuster, according to a Rubber Manufacturers Association statement.