Gerard Scimeca, Chairman of Consumer Action for a Strong Economy (CASE), has called on Congress to advance effective, pro-growth tort reforms aimed at reducing costs and curbing lawsuit abuse in Texas. Scimeca’s statement was made in an op-ed.
“Congress needs to step up and take a leadership role,” said Scimeca. “Practical, pro-growth reforms will cut costs. Addressing this costly issue will necessitate effective legislation. The time for comprehensive tort reform is now.”
In Texas, the 2025 legislative session has seen a revival of major tort-reform efforts. Bills such as Senate Bill 30 and House Bill 4806 are targeting changes in medical-liability affidavit requirements, disclosure of provider liens, and new definitions for pain and suffering. Federal discussions, including hearings on third-party litigation funding transparency, underscore broader concerns about “lawsuit abuse” and its impact on insurance premiums and business costs, according to a legal-alert summary published on May 12, 2025.
The Institute for Legal Reform reports that Texas’s tort system costs reached nearly $38 billion in 2022. This translates to approximately $4,594 per household. The growth rate of tort costs in Texas averaged about 9.7% annually from 2016 to 2022, highlighting how litigation cost burdens continue to rise for families and businesses in the state.
In a national comparison from the same study by the Institute for Legal Reform (ILR), the average tort cost per U.S. household in 2022 was about $4,207. Texas’s per-household cost was higher at $4,594, placing it among states with above-average litigation cost burdens. This elevated rate may affect competitiveness, insurance pricing, and consumer welfare.
Scimeca serves as Chairman and General Counsel of CASE and began his career as a broadcast-media analyst tracking network-news content before shifting to consumer-policy commentary and free-market advocacy. His public filings with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 2024 name him in these leadership roles.
Consumer Action for a Strong Economy is a U.S.-based nonprofit advocacy organization incorporated in 2016 (originally as Consumers Alliance for a Strong Economy). It describes its mission as “serving as the voice of American consumers and wage-earners by advocating strongly for free-markets, fiscal responsibility and reasonable consumer protections,” positioning itself across issues such as energy regulation and litigation costs.
