To hear trial lawyers and their anti-business enablers tell it, the only thing that prevents Colorado employers from literally chaining workers to their desks is the "right to sue" their dastardly bosses.  In this fantasy world, trial lawyers never bring frivolous lawsuits and fired employees never file dubious claims motivated but grudges against their former employers.

In fact, listening to testimony recently on Senate Bill 72 (sponsored by Sen. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, and Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder), the uninitiated could be forgiven for wondering — given the obvious virtue presumed by the bills' supporters — why the sponsors don’t propose a new law that simply accepts employees' claims at face value, dispenses with the inconvenience of a trial, and orders those heartless employers to immediately deposit funds into plaintiffs' bank accounts.

Maybe that’s on their agenda for next year.

Fortunately for Colorado job creators and workers who want a job rather than a chance to play "litigation lottery," the bill died in the House State Affairs Committee — the third time in as many years that similar legislation has failed.  This year, the tally sadly fell along party lines.  In the two previous iterations, sensible members of both parties united to recognize this idea as shortsighted and anti-economic growth.

CCJL thanks Ed Kennedy, an employment and business law attorney at Hall & Evans who testified on behalf of CCJL, as well our allies in the business community to helped to defeat SB 72 and legislators who demonstrated the courage and common sense to vote against it.