The Nation - News from May 20, 1986

Commerce Secretary Malcolm Baldrige pointed to lawyers, not insurance companies, as the chief culprits in pushing liability insurance rates to crisis levels that many people can no longer afford. Testifying before a Senate subcommittee, Baldrige called on Congress to adopt an Administration amendment to pending legislation that would put a lid on attorney shares of court awards to injured plaintiffs. Baldrige told the consumer panel that hundreds of businesses have decried skyrocketing insurance costs, which are “out of control.”