Letter to the Editor: Kemp and Jackson have put corporate interests ahead of everyday Georgians

To the Editor:

Everyday Georgians deserve leaders who protect their rights when a corporation’s negligence leaves them injured, disabled, or grieving. Brian Kemp’s tort reform agenda and Rick Jackson’s record point in the opposite direction: greater protection for businesses and insurance companies, including those headquartered outside Georgia, at the expense of the people who live here.

Kemp signed sweeping changes to Georgia’s civil justice system in 2025. His administration promoted them as a way to stabilize insurance costs. But an injured Georgian’s ability to hold a negligent business accountable should never become a bargaining chip for promised insurance savings.

Consider Ruby Medders. A jury awarded her $975,000 after a trial over injuries she attributed to a fall at Walmart. On October 29, the Georgia Court of Appeals reversed that judgment and ordered a new trial under the new law’s restrictions on arguments about pain and suffering. Her lawyer had used the defense expert’s fees and minimum wage as comparisons, and the trial court had failed to take corrective action.

The court did not abolish pain-and-suffering damages or all per-day arguments. But the practical consequence is clear: a woman who obtained a jury verdict must start again because Kemp’s legislation narrowed how her lawyer could argue the value of her suffering. Walmart obtained another trial. Medders faces more delay and uncertainty.

Jackson’s record gives Georgians little reason to expect a different direction. Associated Press reporting describes how he bankrolled an earlier effort to overhaul medical malpractice claims. The Georgia Chamber recently endorsed him while praising his advocacy for tort reform. In my view, efforts to restrict patients’ legal recourse place the financial interests of the healthcare industry ahead of people harmed by negligent care.

Meanwhile, Jackson’s companies received nearly $1 billion from Georgia state agencies since fiscal 2020, according to Healthbeat’s review of government records. Those payments purchased services; they were not all profit or personal income. Still, taxpayers have been substantial customers of his businesses. Georgians have every right to question a political agenda that welcomes public money while seeking fewer protections for injured members of that same public.

A serious injury can take away someone’s livelihood, independence, and ability to care for a family. Legal accountability matters most when an ordinary person must confront an institution with far greater resources.

To me, selling out everyday Georgians means making that fight harder while calling it progress. Kemp’s sweeping tort reform and Jackson’s advocacy deserve that criticism.

Georgia needs a governor who will defend patients, workers, and families when their interests conflict with corporate profits. Voters should reject Jackson and demand an end to Kemp’s corporate-first agenda.

Steven N. Newton
Fayetteville, GA