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'''American Tort Reform Association''' is a coalition of medical professional associations and various industry groups -- such as from the chemical, tobacco and drug industries -- promoting changes to U.S legislation to limit corporate and professional liability for damage caused by their products and services. It had revenues of $6.1 million in 2009. It's president in 2009 was [[Sherman Joyce]]. In 2009, the firm reported paying almost $1.2 million to the PR firm [[APCO Worldwide]] for "consulting," $544,000 to the corporate law firm [[Shook, Hardy & Bacon]] for "lobbying," and a total of $1.17 million for lobbying, although the organization claims. Sherman Joyce's compensation and benefits package totaled over $405,000 in 2009.<ref>American Tort Reform Association/Internal Revenue Service/Guidestar [http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments//2009/521/464/2009-521464785-06917391-9O.pdf 2009 IRS Form 990], government reporting form, accessed January 25,2012</ref>  

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{{KochConnection}}
==History and formation==
[[Philip Morris]] hired [[APCO Worldwide]] to manage a massive national effort aimed at altering the American judicial system to be more hostile towards product liability suits ("Tort Reform").  [[Tort reform]] was an internal corporate program of Philip Morris, who led other companies into the plan. According to a 1995 Philip Morris Tort Reform Budget, the industry paid APCO Associates almost $1 million in 1995 to implement behind-the-scenes tort reform efforts.  APCO's job was to create chapters of "grassroots" citizens' groups called [[Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse]] (CALAs). The budget shows the tobacco industry alone budgeted $21.8 million to fund the tort reform effort in the single year of 1995.<ref>Covington & Burling [http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/khu28d00 Tort Reform Project Budget], Budget, October 3, 1995, Bates No. 2047648299/8307</ref>

== Description ==
ATRA was purportedly co-founded in 1986 by the [[American Medical Association]] and the [[American Council of Engineering Companies]] as a non-profit organization based on promoting tort & liability reform through public education and legislative action. In particular ATRA lobbies for limits on class actions, abolition of the "rule of joint and several liability", limits on punitive and non-economic damages and "[[sound science]] in the courtroom."<ref name="ATRA At a Glance">American Tort Reform Association, [http://www.atra.org/about/ "ATRA - At a Glance"],  accessed March 2008.</ref>

On its website ATRA compalins that personal injury lawsuits "are bad for business; they are also bad for society. They compromise access to affordable health care, punish consumers by raising the cost of goods and services, chill innovation, and undermine the notion of personal responsibility. The personal injury lawyers who benefit from the status quo use their fees to perpetuate the cycle of lawsuit abuse. They have reinvested millions of dollars into the political process and in more litigation that acts as a drag on our economy."<ref name="ATRA At a Glance"/> 

Public material published to support these positions include an annual list of "[[Judicial Hellholes]]" outlining areas that they find to favor plaintiffs.<ref>American Tort Reform Foundation, [http://www.atra.org/reports/hellholes/ Judicial Hellholes® 2007"], 2007. (Pdf)</ref>

ATRA has developed model tort reform laws (The Times 6/12/94). 

==Ties to the Koch Brothers==

[[Koch]] Industries sponsored ATRA as early as 2004, according to the Bridge Project.<ref name="bridge"> Bridge Project, [http://bridgeproject.com/research/koch-impacts-florida/koch-sponsored-american-tort-reform-association-backed-multiple-tort-reform-projects/ Koch-Sponsored American Tort Reform Association Backed Multiple Tort Reform Projects], organizational website, April 1, 2015.</ref>

A snapshot of ATRA's website, archived by the Wayback Machine on August 5, 2004 shows that Koch Insutries was an ATRA member in 2004.<ref> ATRA, [https://web.archive.org/web/20040805040511/http:/www.atra.org/about/members.php ATRA 50 Representative Members], organizational website, archived on August 5, 2004.</ref>

The Bridge project reports further on ATRA's connection to the [[Koch Brothers|Koch brothers]], "ATRA’s 'Links To Other Civil Justice Reform Websites' Linked To Koch-Connected Sites, Including The Federalist Society, The Washington Legal Foundation, Citizens For A Sound Economy, And The Rand Institute. According to the American Tort Reform Association website, 'Links to Other Civil Justice Reform Websites Other Organizations With Information on Civil Justice Reform Contact these organizations for more information about liability reforms. […] [[Citizens for a Sound Economy]] Conservative Grassroots Organization of Citizen Activists Fighting for Tort Reform. […] The [[Federalist Society]] Conservative/Libertarian Organization of Attorneys Concerned About the Legal System. The [[Rand Institute for Civil Justice]] An Affiliated Think Tank of the RAND Corporation. […] [[Washington Legal Foundation]] Defending and Promoting Free Enterprise and Individual Rights Through The Legal System.'"<ref> ATRA, [https://web.archive.org/web/20041009190222/http:/www.atra.org/links.php Links to Other Civil Justice Reform Websites], organizational website, archived on October 9, 2004.</ref><ref name="bridge"/>

==Lobbying Efforts==

In the first two quarters of 2012, ATRA spent $20,000 lobbying to support the Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2011, and the House companion bill, HR 966, as well as the Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency (FACT) Act of 2012, They also lobbied in support of the "Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2011", They lobbied to oppose the Sunshine in Litigation Act of 2011 and the [[Paycheck Fairness Act]].

The American Tort Reform Association Spent $80,000 on lobbying efforts in 2008, $90,000 in 2009, $40,000 in 2010, and $40,000 in 2011. ATRA does most of its lobbying itself, but also contracts out to notorious lobby-shop [[Shook, Hardy, & Bacon]].

==Members==

On its website ATRA does not include a full list of members but provides only a "sample" list of members. These members, as of July 2012, are:<ref>American Tort Reform Association, [http://www.atra.org/about/sample-members Sample List of ATRA Members], organizational website, accessed July 2, 2012</ref>

* AEGIS Insurance Services
* Advance Medical Technology Association
* [[Altria Group|Altria Client Services]]
* ASFE
* American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons
* American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists
* American Institute of Architects
* [[American Insurance Association]]
* [[American Legislative Exchange Council]]
* [[American Medical Association]]
* American Suzuki Motor Company
* American Trucking Associations
* Associated Wire Rope Fabricators
* [[Bayer]] Pharmaceutical Corporation
* CNA Financial Corporation
* CSX Corporation
* [[Caterpillar]]
* Chrysler Group
* [[Coca-Cola Company|Cocal-Cola Bottlers’ Association]]
* Cybex International
* Doctors' Company
* [[Eli Lilly]] and Company
* [[Farmers Insurance Co.]]
* [[Ford]] Motor Company
* Emerson Electric Company
* [[ExxonMobil]]
* [[General Electric]]
* Great American Insurance Companies
* Hyundai Motor America
* [[Johnson & Johnson]]
* [[Koch Industries]], Inc.
* Medical Mutual
* [[Merck]] & Company
* [[MetLife]]
* Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association
* National Association of Home Builders
* [[National Federation of Independent Business]]
* National Fuel Gas Distribution
* [[Nationwide]]
* [[Pfizer]]
* [[Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America]]
* Physician Insurers Association of America
* [[PPG Industries]]
* Preferred Physician Medical
* [[Prudential Financial|Prudential Insurance Company of America]]
* SeamCraft, Inc.
* [[Shell]] Oil Company
* [[State Farm]]
* Taussig Corporation
* Unimin Corporation

'''As of March 2008, the "sample list" was slightly different''':<ref>American Tort Reform Association, [http://www.atra.org/about/members.php Sample List of ATRA Members], organizational website, accessed March 2008, [http://web.archive.org/web/20080513200531/http://www.atra.org/about/members.php archived by the Wayback Machine], May 13, 2008</ref>

*[[3M]] Company
*[[Altria Corporate Services]]/*[[Kraft Foods]]
*[[ASFE]]
*[[Advance Medical Technology Association]]
*[[American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons]]
*[[American Association of Neurological Surgeons]]
*[[American Blood Centers]]
*[[American Chemistry Council]]
*[[American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists]]
*[[American College of Surgeons]]
*[[American Council of Engineering Companies]]
*[[American Furniture Warehouse]]
*[[American Health Care Association]]
*[[American Institute of Architects]]
*[[American Legislative Exchange Council]]
*[[American Medical Association]]
*[[American Society of Mechanical Engineers]]
*[[Anheuser Busch Companies]]
*[[Associated Wire Rope Fabricators]]
*[[Baxter]]
*[[Boeing]]
*[[Bunn Brothers]] Ltd
*[[Caterpillar]]
*[[City of New York Law Department]]
*[[Cooper Industries]]
*[[Court Security Systems]]
*[[CSX Transportation]]
*[[DaimlerChrysler Corporation]]
*[[Defense Research Institute]]
*[[Delmar Emergency Specialists]]
*[[DeWald Northwest Company]]
*[[diaDexus]], Inc.
*[[Doctor's Company]]
*[[Erickson Retirement Communities]]
*[[Harleysville Insurance Companies]]
*[[Juvenile Products Manufacturers]]
*[[Johnson & Johnson]]
*[[Kenyon Plastering]], Inc.
*[[Koch Industries]]
*[[Lovell Safety Management]] Co.
*[[Manhattan Orthopaedics]], PC
*[[NCH Corporation]]
*[[National Association of Home Builders]]
*[[National Federation of Independent Businesses]]
*[[National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation]]
*[[New York Blood Centers]]
*[[New York Life Insurance]]
*[[Nexcare Heathcare Systems]] LLC
*[[PPM Services]]
*[[Pennsylvania Medical Society]]
*[[Pfizer]]
*[[Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America]]
*[[Physician Insurers Association of America]]
*[[Rio Grande Valley Chamber]]
*[[Roller Skating Association]], Intl.
*[[Scandia Family Fun Center]]
*[[SeamCraft]]
*[[Small Aircraft Manufacturers Association]]
*[[SnowSports Industries America]]
*[[State Farm]]
*[[Taussig Corporation]]
*[[TRW Automotive]]
*[[Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America]]
*[[Wyeth]]
*[[Z-World]] Inc.

==Funding==

A fact sheet created by Center for Justice and Democracy at New York Law School provides some detail on ATRA's funding in the 1990's. Their research shows that ATRA was primarily funded by the tobacco industry and large corporations:<ref> Center for Justice and Democracy, [https://centerjd.org/content/fact-sheet-american-tort-reform-association Fact Sheet: American Tort Reform Association], New York Law School, accessed March 8, 2017.</ref>

*"ATRA's members are largely Fortune 500 companies with a direct financial stake in restricting lawsuits. Members have included representatives of the tobacco, insurance, chemical, auto and pharmaceutical industries. Corporate giants like [[Philip Morris]], [[Dow Chemical]], [[Exxon]], [[General Electric]], [[Aetna]], Geico and Nationwide have all supported ATRA. Gannon, Tort Deform - Lethal Bedfellows, Essential Information, 1995, pp. 23-25. Legal Times also reported that, 'most of [ATRA's] funding comes from large corporate donors. Insurance firms... are each good for $50,000 or $75,000, one unnamed lobbyist familiar with the Association told the publication.' 'Proponents of Reform,' Legal Times, April 17, 1995, cited in Silverstein, Smoke & Mirrors, Public Citizen Congress Watch, 1996, p. 11."

*"The tobacco industry has supported ATRA, directly through Philip Morris, and indirectly through [[Covington & Burling]], the law firm for the now-defunct [[Tobacco Institute]] and other major tobacco companies. Newly released documents from the Tobacco Archives show that in 1995, the tobacco industry allocated nearly $5.5 million for ATRA, more than half of ATRA's $10.2 million budget according to the Associated Press. The documents also show that Covington & Burling acted as a funnel for much of this tobacco industry money, which was then paid out to other organizations. 'Report Says Tobacco Industry Quietly Backed Tort Reform,' Associated Press, February 21, 1999; Tort Reform Project Budget, Covington & Burling, October 3, 1995, Document #2041201160 et seq. The budget indicates that by October 3, the project had already given about $3 million to ATRA."

==Personnel==
===Staff===
As of March 2008, ATRA staff include<ref>[http://www.atra.org/about/staff.php "ATRA Staff"], accessed March 2008</ref>:
*[[Sherman Joyce]], President
*[[Darren McKinney]], Director of Communications
*[[Matt Fullenbaum]], Director of Legislation
*[[Elizabeth Emery]], Assistant Director of Legislation
*[[Gretchen S. Post]], Executive Assistant and Office Manager
*[[Geneva Carney]], Membership Coordinator

==Contact details==
American Tort Reform Association<br>
1101 Connecticut Avenue, NW<br>
Suite 400<br>
Washington, DC 20036<br>
Phone: 202 682-1163<br>
Fax 202 682-1022<br>
Website: http://www.atra.org/

==External resources==
* ATRA's [http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments//2009/521/464/2009-521464785-06917391-9O.pdf 2009 IRS Form 990] (pdf, from Guidestar) 
==References==
<references/>


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