"Special 1 hour Debate Show: Tort Reform - Do We Need It , Do We Want It? (This show will also air again at the special time of 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 14, 2004)" was first aired on Sunday March 7th 2004. Our Guests were Senator Glenn Coffee, Representative of Reform Proponents and Ed Abel, Representative of Trial Lawyers.

1. Why is any cap on non-economic damages (pain and suffering) justified - why $300,000?
2. Aren't there cases where juries get mad and punish defendants with huge verdicts that have no basis in fact? Shouldn't there be some limit on this?
3. Is a "loser pays" system fair?
4. Isn't it also true that the medical malpractice insurance companies have lost a great deal of money in the stock market decline and are trying to make it up in premium increases?
5. Joint and several liability (each responsible for all the damages awarded) has been part of our law forever in many kinds of cases. What's wrong with that?

Ed Abel, Glenn Coffee, Kent Meyers