The plaintiffs bar is sounding the alarm following the release of a slate of proposed changes to Georgia law promulgated by a Senate study committee last year aimed at easing perceived legal burdens on businesses, insurers and health care providers. 

Among those recommendations from the Senate Study Committee on Reducing the Cost of Doing Business: An expansion of Georgia’s $250,000 punitive damage cap to cover product liability claims; a bar on claims for “phantom damages,” described as medical expenses sought in excess of what an injured person was actually billed; a bar on ”jury anchoring,” when a lawyer suggests a dollar amount for a plaintiff’s pain and suffering; a cap on the interest rate litigation funding companies can charge; and a cap on contingency fees.