Behind the Scenes
Legislative Efforts
New Exciting Bills:
California passes SB 800, the "Fix-it" Construction Reform Bill
AB 1700 - Pre-Litigation Process for HOAs in Construction Defect Cases
"Construction defects that do not cause physical damage do not support claim of negligence or strict liability." -- CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT CURBS CONSTRUCTION DEFECT SUITS
5-2 Decision in AAS v. Superior Court is a victory for building and insurance industry!
See AAS Ruling Analysis
AB 435 - Confidentiality of Medical Information
Bill Analysis as of January 2000
An act to amend Section 3762 of the Labor Code, relating to
workers' compensation.
(See AB 1468 for most current clean up legislation regarding this bill!)
Voters say No to Props. 30 & 31
The "Bad Faith" Bill
Thanks to a successful "No on 30 and 31" campaign, insurance carriers cannot be held liable in third-party bad faith lawsuits for personal injury cases or property damage cases resulting from auto accidents.
A good show of voters turned up at the polls on March 7, with nearly 70% voting against both propositions 30 and 31. This law would have allowed insurance carriers to be held liable for third-party bad faith and punitive damages if a claim or suit was not handled "satisfactorily," thereby raising insurance costs in California.
"The pendulum now swings"
As is characteristic of politics, we can expect that trial lawyers may try to pass another bill in the next session to bring this issue back to the table. However, there should not be much support for this in Sacramento based on such strong opposition to propositions 30 and 31.
