OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Gov. Mary Fallin has signed into law 23 bills to overhaul the state's system for filing and handling civil lawsuits, including a measure some legal experts say creates an unconstitutional barrier to the courts.
Fallin on Tuesday announced that she signed each of the bills sent to her by the House and Senate following a five-day special session to change the state's tort laws.
Fallin called the special session after the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled in June that a sweeping 2009 bill to overhaul the state's tort laws was unconstitutional because it included multiple subjects in a single bill. In a separate ruling, the court also determined a requirement that plaintiffs in negligence cases file an expert's affidavit also is unconstitutional because it creates a "monetary barrier" to the courts.