Governor Perdue Commends Passage of Tort Reform Legislation

ATLANTA – Today Governor Sonny Perdue commended the passage of HB 29 to help prevent the discovery process from being abused by allowing the legal merits of a complaint to be tested before discovery commences.

“This legislation allows the court to determine if a lawsuit is meritless before a defendant has to begin the costly discovery process,” said Governor Perdue.  “This will save our justice system time and money.”

The bill requires discovery be stayed for 90 days when a motion to dismiss is filed.  Under the legislation, the court may grant a motion for expedited discovery while a motion to dismiss is pending upon a showing of good cause.  The court must decide any motion to dismiss resulting in a stay of discovery during the time period in which the stay is in effect.

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