CJA Calls for Piccola's Recusal

For Immediate Release
Date: February 11, 2004
Contact: Paul R. Lyon, Executive Director
(570) 558-1750

CJA Calls for Piccola’s Recusal

The Committee for Justice for All today joined a growing chorus of voices from around the state in calling for Senate Majority Whip Jeff Piccola, R-Dauphin County, to recuse himself from the legislative process regarding tort reform because he serves on the boards of two insurance companies.

"As a director of the Eastern Atlantic Insurance Co. and the Builders Direct Insurance Co., Mr. Piccola clearly has a conflict of interest and should recuse himself from any debate or votes on tort reform legislation,” said Paul R. Lyon, Executive Director of The Committee for Justice for All , a Northeastern Pennsylvania advocacy group fighting to preserve the integrity of the civil justice system and the Constitutional right of all Americans to trial by a jury of their peers.

Mr. Piccola’s ties to Eastern Atlantic and Builders Direct was revealed recently by Pennsylvania Citizens for Fairness, a Philadelphia-based group opposing tort reform. Mr. Piccola has been a staunch supporter of legislation that would open the Pennsylvania Constitution to severe and arbitrary limits on payments to victims in ALL types of liability cases, thereby drastically lowering the lawsuit exposure of individual and corporate wrong-doers.

“It’s painfully obvious that Mr. Piccola’s unswerving support of all-tort legislation is meant to benefit the insurance industry and big business,” said Lyon . “The real agenda of tort reform has little to do with helping doctors afford their insurance premiums, and everything to do with helping the bottom lines of wealthy corporate campaign contributors. Unfortunately, the losers are average, hard-working Pennsylvanians who are injured through no fault of their own.”

Both the Philadelphia Inquirer and The Scranton Times, in recent editorials, have called for Senator Piccola’s recusal on the issue of tort reform. Here are excerpts from The Scranton Times editorial:

“Amid the debate about whether a cap should be placed on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases, as a means to hold down insurance costs, Mr. Piccola and his colleagues hatched a plan to amend the state Constitution so that such a cap could be placed on all damages awards … The industry that would benefit most from such a universal cap would be the insurance industry, which no longer would face uncertain consequences from its clients’ nefarious conduct … His (Piccola’s) involvement with the insurance industry is indeed a serious conflict of interest. He should heed the call to remove himself from the legislative process regarding the (constitutional) amendment.”

The Committee for Justice for All urges Mr. Piccola and any other legislator with ties to those who would benefit from tort reform to recuse themselves. The rights of all Pennsylvanians rely on a fair and unbiased consideration of this issue.