Donald Trump is a fighter. Decades ago, he charged ahead in boardrooms and built a real estate empire. Ten years ago, he took on the establishment and dominated the political arena. And recently, he’s been forced to battle for political survival in our courtrooms.
President Trump is unafraid to take on the toughest fights — whether they be in politics, business, or the legal arena. And with a renewed mandate delivered by the American people last November, President Trump and Congress have an opportunity to take on another tough fight: lawsuit abuse.
Lawsuit abuse drives up costs for every family in America. According to independent studies, it raises prices on groceries and costs the average American family more than $4,000 each year. How exactly? Personal injury lawyers — more commonly known as billboard attorneys or ambulance chasers — file lawsuits against small businesses for pretty much anything.
Take, for example, a heartbreaking incident in 2018 in my home state of Georgia. A tragic accident occurred when an 8-year-old girl was killed while running through a crosswalk at a school bus stop. Police identified the culprit: a car driver. But the personal injury lawyers spotted a jackpot: a nearby school bus, with a robust insurance policy. The school bus driver did nothing wrong, but the company was forced to pay $5 million. This heartbreaking case illustrates how our legal system perversely penalizes innocent parties, fueling excessive litigation and driving up costs for everyone.
Not surprisingly, billboard attorneys have placed a target on President Trump’s back. Through the years, they have capitalized on his success. As of 2016, Donald Trump’s golf courses, hotels, condos, and casinos were named as defendants in 696 lawsuits. Left-wing law firms even advertise on their website as “Trump Golf Course Accident Attorneys,” with a how-to-guide on “filing a lawsuit against the Trump Organization.”
President Trump knows first-hand the burden billboard attorneys place on our economy. Just last month, President Trump called the lawyer lobby “the strongest lobby in the world.” And he knows this fight will be bigger than just him. It’s about lowering costs for families and delivering results for the American people. A recent poll showed that the American people want President Trump and Congress to lower the cost of living and insurance rates. The poll also showed that Americans believe that excessive litigation and the costs associated with these lawsuits are a contributing factor to higher prices for families. Support for change is widespread, with a clear majority of voters supporting reforms for greater transparency in America’s broken legal system.
There’s a clear path forward. President Trump and the GOP have a historic chance to get it done by tackling our broken and abusive legal system—one that has long been manipulated by greedy billboard attorneys. They have not only targeted his businesses but have exploited every loophole in a system that rakes in billions at the expense of American families.
Consider the stark realities: In 2022, excessive litigation drained an estimated $529 billion from the U.S. economy — costing $4,207 per U.S. household. Every day, Americans are paying the price. When you call an Uber in Georgia, for example, 23% of your fare goes directly towards inflated insurance costs—a consequence of a legal system run amok. With a better, fairer system, consumers would not have to worry about having nearly one-quarter of their fare going towards insurance. Personal injury lawyers are one of the primary reasons every inflation report says one of the big drivers of higher prices is increases in auto insurance costs.
The systemic abuse of our legal system has allowed well-known billboard attorneys to profit immensely. With President Trump’s leadership and a willing Republican majority in Congress, we can finally end the lawyer lobby’s chokehold on the American economy and lower prices for families across this country. I’m ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with President Trump to get this done.
Congressman Mike Collins represents Georgia’s 10th Congressional District.
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