SACRAMENTO -- The "height of hypocrisy" is how the Civil Justice Association of California is characterizing a protest held by personal injury lawyer-backed "consumer activists" in San Francisco today. The protest revolves around a recent meeting between Governor Davis and health plan representatives.

"It is amazing arrogance for the personal injury attorneys and their front groups to think that multi-millions in lawyer campaign contributions could prohibit any elected official from meeting with health care providers to discuss the important issue of health care reform," said John H. Sullivan, President of the Civil Justice Association of California.

The Association's research reveals that California trial lawyers contributed a total of $10.3 million to California candidates and parties in statewide and legislative races in the 1997-98 election cycle. Of the total, $9.8 million was contributed directly to candidates and $500,000 was given indirectly to candidates through political parties.

"The trial lawyers are trying to milk their mammoth campaign contributions every way they can," Sullivan added.

The 1999 legislative agenda of the trial lawyer lobby has been characterized as the most aggressive in the past 16 years. A key provision of their agenda is to allow more litigation against health plans.

More information on trial lawyer campaign contributions is available on the Civil Justice Association of California web site: www.cjac.org.