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About Us
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DeepPocketsIllinois.com is a campaign of the Illinois Civil Justice League (ICJL). ICJL is a coalition of Illinois citizens, small and large businesses, associations, professional societies, not-for-profit organizations and local governments that have joined together to work for fairness in the Illinois civil justice system.
ICJL created this Web site to actively oppose legislation in Springfield that would make Illinois employers with "deep pockets" the prime targets of Illinois trial lawyers.
The bill we are currently targeting is HB 2094.
Why is HB 2094 So Dangerous?
HB 2094 would reinstate the Structural Work Act - a law that was so harmful to the Illinois economy that the General Assembly repealed it in 1995. This bill allows workers injured on the job to sue third parties outside of the workers' compensation system.
While this law would result in a jackpot for personal injury trial lawyers, it would cost Illinois jobs, lead to higher costs for consumers, and have a drastic effect on our state's already-reeling economy.
We urge legislators to oppose reinstating the SWA, under the rubric of the Construction Safety Act, for the following reasons:
Threatens Illinois Jobs. Reinstating SWA will increase construction costs and stifle both private investment and public works projects. It will also put Illinois at a disadvantage to neighboring states, where the cost of doing business within the construction industry is significantly lower, costing the State tax revenue, jobs and economic growth. Other than New York, no state has a SWA-like law; Illinois is one of 49 states that relies on Workers' Compensation law to address workplace injuries.
No Increase In Worker Safety. The passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act ("OSHA") by Congress in 1970 has ushered in a new era of job-site safety. Under OSHA, contractors can not only be fined, but can also go to prison, for having unsafe working conditions. Additionally, since the repeal of SWA in 1995, the number of construction jobs in Illinois rose from 215,000 in 1994 to 275,300 in 2006, while the construction site fall fatalities declined from 20 deaths in 1994 to 14 in 2006.
Costs Consumers. According to a study prepared by the Watson-Wyatt Group in 1998, it was conservatively estimated that SWA cost Illinois employers approximately $170 million a year in insurance costs and the legal fees alone related to defending third-party suits. It can often cost an uninvolved party tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees just to be removed from the case. These costs are passed on to all consumers.
Workers' Right to Sue Exists. Under current law, workers still have the right to go to court, but now must prove negligence against the defendant for the accident.
Please click here to email your legislator to ask them to oppose this dangerous bill.
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