Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2005

RS21931 -- Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2005

Updated November 4, 2005

Summary

H.R. 420, 109th Congress, the Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2005, was reported by the House Judiciary Committee on June 14, 2005 (H.Rept. 109-123), and passed by the House on October 27, 2005. H.R. 420 would strengthen Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and would narrow the choice of venues for personal injury actions, other than class actions, brought in state and federal courts. The bill's Rule 11 provisions would apply to all civil actions, not just tort actions. Rule 11 provides for sanctions against parties who file frivolous claims or defenses, or who file a paper for any improper purpose.(1)