First Circuit Court of Appeal Chief Judge John Michael Guidry: “There may come a point where you have to be a candidate!”

Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal Chief Judge John Michael Guidry, who was the keynote speaker of the Engagement 2023 The Future of the Law in Louisiana forum held on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

It was our distinct honor to be invited to attend and cover the Engagement 2023 The Future of the Law in Louisiana forum yesterday (May 9, 2023) at the City Club of Baton Rouge.  Our invitation was graciously extended by Ms. Lana Venable, Executive Director of The Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch.

The sponsors for the forum were:  The Louisiana Motor Transport Association, The Louisiana Legal Reform Coalition (formerly the Louisiana Coalition for Common Sense), The Pelican Institute, and The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI).

Our longer-term subscribers may recall our extensive coverage of Louisiana’s tort reform initiatives in the 2020 Legislative Session [Note:  CLICK HERE for a follow-up to the preceding article], so we very much appreciated the invitation to this event as we fully expect more tort reforms after the elections later this year. Furthermore, there’s one initiative (to be presented shortly) in the current Legislative Session sponsored by Louisiana State Sen. Barrow Peacock (R- Bossier City) which we feel is very crucial to be passed and hopefully signed by Gov. Edwards.

Let’s take a look at what all the speakers had to say at yesterday’s event, with particular focus on an incredible presentation from Judge John Michael Guidry, who serves as the Chief Judge of the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal:

Lana Venable, Executive Director of The Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch, provided an overview of the costs of lawsuit abuse in Louisiana.
CLICK HERE for the LLAW push card for the event, and CLICK HERE for the LLAW press release of yesterday, May 9, 2023.

Karen Eddleman, Executive Director of The Louisiana Legal Reform Coalition,   provides an overview of SB-196 by Sen. Peacock, which would require third-party entities providing funding for litigation to disclose their financial interests in the outcomes of the litigation (more details below).

Chief Judge of the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal, John Michael Guidry, gave a fascinating presentation on civic engagement entailing governmental operations.

Sen. Peacock receives the Legal Reform Award for 2023 for his efforts entailing SB-196.

We visited with Sen. Peacock after the presentation concluded, and he directed us to this fascinating article entailing some of the abuses which prompted the need for his proposed legislation.  From the feature:

A restoration contractor that helped finance an effort by McClenny Moseley & Associates to file thousands of hurricane-damage claims in Louisiana wants its $3 million investment back.

Access Restoration Services US filed a lawsuit in a Texas state court in Houston that accuses MMA and founding partner John Zachary Moseley of selling unregistered securities. The suit says Moseley promised a 429% return on its investment in nine months. ARS says it wired $3 million to MMA in December 2021, but hasn’t received any of that money back.

“Upon information and belief, MMA is not registered to sell securities in the state of Texas,” the complaint says. “Nevertheless, MMA and Moseley solicited and obtained the investment agreement from plaintiff. Said investment agreement constitutes a security, and upon information and belief MMA did not register such security, in violation of the Texas Securities Act.”

The lawsuit, filed April 21 in Harris County District Court, is the latest in a series of legal actions taken against MMA. A Louisiana Circuit Court judge and US District Court judges in Lake Charles and New Orleans have barred the law firm from prosecuting any of the hundreds of lawsuits its lawyers have filed against insurers. The Louisiana Supreme Court has also suspended the law license of MMA’s managing attorney in Louisiana, William R. Huye III.

During hearings before District Court judges, MMA lawyers revealed that they had paid Velawcity, an Arizona-based legal services marketing firm, $13.9 million for “pre-screened client leads.” The law firm filed lawsuits on behalf of clients who had already hired other attorneys, forcing federal judges to sort out who actually represented the claimants.

We believe that, as Eddleman stressed (and as her organization used to be named) passage of this legislation ought to be “common sense,” and we’d encourage everyone to contact House Members of the Committee on Civil Law and Procedures and encourage them to support this legislation.