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LISTEN: Sounds of Session: Tackling TPLF with Rep. Emily Chenevert
As we mentioned earlier, Rep. Emily Chenevert is our guest on today’s episode of Sounds of Session. Hosted by LABI’s Mary Beth Derrickson, and joined by her colleague Shelby Dunbar, the conversation focuses on Chenevert’s latest effort to bring light to the dark—and quickly growing—world of Third Party Litigation Financing. In addition to listening to our podcast here, you can read a short Q&A below!
Q: Even after success on the civil justice front last year, it sounds like there’s still a lot of work to do. But what is the appetite of this session?
Rep. Chenevert: “I’ve used this analogy before, and I say all the time. You know, in a relationship where it’s your marriage or your business, no one looks at and says, ‘hey, we’ve made some really good headway this year, we’re going to revisit and do a date night in two years and see where we are, right?’ Say no couple, because you probably won’t have a date in two years. “In business, no one looks at their numbers and looks at how things are impacting their business and then say, ‘you know, we look really good this year, we’re going to all kind of regroup and look at our financials in about two years and see what else we fix.’ You constantly tweak the things that matter to you. And I think that’s where my focus is.”
Q: Can you expand on TPLF and why [HB 240] is so important to [the civil justice reform] conversation?
Rep. Chenevert: “It’s a consumer protection bill. Let’s say myself, if I’m hiring an attorney, and that attorney has a contract with a third party litigation financer, that person could potentially get money and profit off of my suit. All I’m saying is it should be disclosed to their client. That person at the table is hiring an attorney, they should know who else is at the table. Who else could get a cut of what my lawsuit could bring? And I think it’s fair. I’m already having that conversation on the House Floor.”
Shelby Dunbar: “One thing that plaintiffs and claimants don’t understand is that there is nothing in this state currently that stops a third party litigation financer from coming out with more money than the actual plaintiff themselves. If I’m the person who was injured in the case, why should a third party, who I might not even know exists, receive more money than me?