More Transparency for Civil Lawsuit Documents

The Deseret Morning News (6/5, Davidson) reported that Bruce R. Kaster, "an attorney who represents the families of Utah State University students killed in a grim 2005 van accident, told Congress on Thursday" that "courts allow companies to keep too many civil lawsuit documents secret that could save lives by disclosing dangerous defects in products."

An example of such a document is a memo from 2000 by Copper Tires that discusses that the tires they produce lack important safety features that are present in other brands. Copper Tires manufactured the tires involved in the 2005 accident that killed eight Utah State University students.

Currently, the House Judiciary subcommittee is “considering the Sunshine in Litigation Act, which would make it more difficult for companies to keep secret documents used in civil cases.” Each year, countless American’s are injured or killed by defective products that manufactures are aware of, but the public is not. As a product liability lawyer, I believe that companies are too easily allowed to seal important facts about defective products in court files to the detriment of public safety. I support an Act that would increase the likelihood that manufactures would be held accountable for their defective products.