HARRISBURG – PA Senate State Government Committee Chairman Sen. Cris Dush (R-25) sent a letter (excerpted below) urging the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to immediately reexamine its 2022 decision to rescind the medical liability venue rule; to promptly inform Pennsylvania citizens of any judiciary actions; and not to withhold this information until after the November 2025 election.
Earlier this week, Dush convened a public hearing to receive testimony from doctors, hospital officials, trial lawyers and organizations on his constitutional amendment which would allow the legislature to establish venue in civil cases (Senate Bill 125).
In today’s letter, Dush wrote:
“In late 2022, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court unilaterally rescinded the medical liability venue rule, (Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1006 a.1). This rule safeguarded the health care system from rampant venue shopping by opportunistic trial lawyers.
“For two decades, this rule ensured that malpractice lawsuits were filed where the alleged incident occurred — not wherever juries were most likely to deliver sky-high payouts. The rule rescission took effect on Jan. 1, 2023.
“…Tucked inside that same rule change was this provision: (g) The Civil Procedural Rules Committee shall reexamine the 2022 rule amendments two years after their effective date.
“Two years after the effective date was Jan. 1, 2025. It is almost November 2025 and neither the general assembly nor the public know anything about the findings of the Civil Procedural Rules Committee and what, if anything, the Supreme Court intends to do to ameliorate the harsh impacts of the rescission of the medical liability venue rule.
“I am calling on the Supreme Court to immediately inform the voters of the outcome of the Civil Procedural Rules Committee’s review and what action, if any, the Supreme Court intends to take. The Supreme Court must not withhold this information until after the election.
“Transparency and the credibility of the court hang in the balance. Please release this information so that Pennsylvania voters are not kept in the dark.”
Dush added, “In just a few days, Pennsylvanians will head to the polls and cast a critical vote: whether to retain Supreme Court Justices Dougherty, Donohue, and Wecht for another ten-year term. The voters of Pennsylvania deserve to know what the Supreme Court does on this critical issue.”
Click here to view Dush’s full letter to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
CONTACT: Ty McCauslin, 717-787-7084