Sacramento (special) -- Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento)
has teamed with state Sen. Martha Escutia (D-Norwalk) to prevent insurance
companies making out-of-court settlements in cases affecting public safety
from requiring plaintiffs to keep the settlements secret.
The chairs respectively of the Assembly and Senate Judiciary Committees,
the two legislators said their bills were prompted by settlements arising
out of the Firestone tire controversy, the Northridge earthquake, the Fen
Phen diet drug, silicone gel breast implants, asbestos and adulterated
tobacco products.
"The effect of these secrecy demands has been to keep state and federal
safety officials, as well as the public, in the dark about potentially
lethal safety defects, environmental dangers, unfair insurance practices
and financial frauds," Steinberg said. -- Donald
H. Harrison |