June 18, 2001

Sacramento Bee
2100 Q Street
Sacramento, CA 95816


VIA FACSIMILE

Dear Editor:

The Bee properly recognizes the importance of balancing public access to information about product hazards with the protection of intellectual property and other sensitive business information (editorial, June 18, 2001). A demand for genuine balance is the message sent by more than 400 firms and business groups of all kinds when they signed on to oppose AB 36 (Steinberg) and its companion bill SB 11 (Escutia).

Unfortunately these plaintiffs' trial lawyer bills continue to be mainly tools to leverage higher settlements from innocent defendants rather than getting "life-saving information to the wider public." Until they are seriously amended to reflect the public's interest, not the trial lawyers', opposition will continue to be widespread and powerful.

Sincerely,

John H. Sullivan
President
Civil Justice Association of California