In an editorial, the New York Times wrote, “New laws are needed to deter corporations from covering up safety defects and punish those individuals and companies that do”; the bipartisan outrage over recent automobile defects hasn’t lead to legislation to deal with such issues. The Times called for the passage of three bills introduced by Sen. Richard Blumenthal. The Sunshine in Litigation Act would prevent secret settlements in product liability litigation from keeping regulators and the public from knowing of problems. The Automaker Accountability Act would allow the Transportation Department to consider the severity of the offense when setting fines for automobile safety violations, instead of having them capped. The Hide No Harm Act would criminalize businesses and responsible corporate officers not disclosing “known serious dangers.”
From the news release of the American Association for Justice.
