SACRAMENTO — Personal injury lawyers and other plaintiffs’ lawyers spent more than $4.1 million on incumbents and candidates in California from January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2008, according to data compiled by the Civil Justice Association of California (CJAC).
Of the $4.1 million, more than $2.1 million came in direct contributions from individual lawyers and their law firms. More than $720,000 came through political action committees, which are entirely financed by plaintiffs’ lawyers. Another $1.2 million was spent by plaintiffs’ lawyer-controlled independent expenditure committees.
While there were no statewide races during this session, $361,500 of the plaintiffs’ lawyer money went to current office holders and potential candidates in statewide elections in 2010.
“Personal injury lawyers shoveled millions of dollars into Assembly and Senate races in an attempt to elect legislators who will support their pro-litigation agenda,” CJAC President John H. Sullivan said. “But their agenda does not benefit Californians — especially when we need economic recovery, not higher costs and crowded courts.”
Six legislative candidates benefitted from the more than $1.2 million spent by independent expenditure committees controlled by plaintiffs’ lawyers. The money was spent either in support of one candidate or against the candidates’ opponent. Here is a breakdown of that spending:
- Joan Buchanan (Assembly District 15): $67,500
- Richard Holober (AD 19): $113,000
- Bob Blumenfield (AD 40): $6,400
- Marty Block (AD 78): $462,900
- Hannah-Beth Jackson (SD 19): $550,300
- Loni Hancock (SD 9): $23,700
The Civil Justice Association of California regularly tracks political contributions of California personal injury and other plaintiffs’ lawyers and notes that most contribution studies vastly understate the money flowing from this source because they look only at PAC reporting and overlook larger amounts given directly by individual lawyers and their firms. The CJAC data is compiled from records on the California Secretary of State’s web site.
Sullivan said that while political contributions are a legitimate part of our freedom to communicate and select government representatives, the public should be informed when a powerful special interest is conducting a massive program to elect representatives purely in the interest of pursuing their own narrow agenda.
More information — as well as a breakdown of contributions to each candidate and incumbent — is available on CJAC’s web site.
Contact: John H. Sullivan
916-443-4900