New Consumer Awareness Effort Encourages Texans to Become Savvy Legal Consumers
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Texans Against Lawsuit Abuse (TALA) is encouraging Texans to become smarter legal consumers as part of an ongoing effort to reduce lawsuit abuse and protect the state’s consumers, businesses, and economy from rising costs tied to excessive and questionable lawsuits.
Texans pay $1,943 more for consumer goods and services every year because of excessive litigation, a nearly 13 percent increase from just one year ago, according to a new economic impact study released by Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA).
That is well above the national average of $1,771 per person, meaning we are all paying more for everything from groceries to housing to insurance because of excessive lawsuits and massive court awards known as nuclear verdicts®.
To help address the problem, TALA is promoting its “It Starts With You” campaign and accompanying Legal Consumer Guide, which encourages Texans to ask the right questions before hiring a lawyer or filing a lawsuit and to better understand how the civil justice system is intended to work.
“Stopping lawsuit abuse starts with individual responsibility and informed decision-making,” said TALA Spokesman Robert Wood. “The civil justice system exists to help people who have suffered legitimate harm, but when questionable legal tactics and excessive lawsuits drive up costs, everyone pays the price. Texans can help protect both our courts and their own wallets by becoming smarter legal consumers.”
The Legal Consumer Guide provides practical advice for Texans considering legal action, including questions to ask a lawyer, how fee arrangements work, how to recognize misleading legal advertising, and when to explore alternatives to litigation. The guide also emphasizes that lawsuits should be a last resort, not the first option in resolving disputes.
Central Texas small business owner Bobby Jenkins said lawsuit abuse impacts employers, workers, and consumers alike.
“As a Texas business owner, I’ve seen firsthand how excessive litigation and legal abuse drive up operating costs and create uncertainty for employers,” Jenkins said. “Those costs eventually get passed on to consumers and can make it harder for businesses to invest in jobs and growth. Texans need to know that every lawsuit has consequences, and being thoughtful and informed before pursuing legal action benefits everyone.”
Wood said preserving access to legitimate legal remedies while discouraging abusive or unnecessary lawsuits is essential to protecting both consumers and economic opportunity.
“Our legal system should be focused on delivering justice, not fueling a culture of excessive litigation,” Wood said. “The more Texans understand their rights and responsibilities as legal consumers, the better positioned we are to ensure the legal system works fairly and equitably for everyone.
“Stopping lawsuit abuse starts with you – and all of us,” Wood said.
