Advocating On Your Behalf

Key Victories & Completed Work

• The District’s budget proposal included sweeping restrictions: a $500,000 cap on civil damages ($1M for intentional acts), elimination of certain non-economic damages, narrowed collateral source rule, and weakened negligence standards for emergency vehicles.
• The Legislative Committee mobilized quickly with testimony, expert economic analysis, and direct Council engagement. Strong leadership from Chairman Mendelson and key committee chairs ensured the harmful subtitle was removed in its entirety.

• Council legislation sought to weaken the Dram Shop law by heightening the burden of proof, eliminating first-party claims, and capping liability at $250,000 (later amended to $500,000).
• The Legislative Committee and coalition partners including MADD and WABA engaged in sustained advocacy and testimony. As a result, the D.C. Council struck the cap provision before passing the bill in early 2024.

• Achieved permanent reform ensuring injured workers in D.C. are not barred from recovery if they have received compensation in another jurisdiction.
• The law, long pursued by the Legislative Committee, now guarantees reductions are limited to amounts already paid elsewhere, closing a gap that had denied many workers fair compensation.

• The Legislative Committee successfully corrected D.C. Civil Jury Instructions to clarify that the Vulnerable User statute does not authorize a reduction of damages, but only allows for traditional contributory negligence analysis.

• Supported passage of the Safer Streets Amendment Act, which allows bicyclists to treat stop signs and certain red lights as yield situations and bans most right turns on red beginning in 2025.

• Secured inclusion of TLA-DC’s proposed language ensuring no waiver of jury trial rights can occur before a dispute arises.

• Helped pass legislation capping costs charged by providers and vendors for medical records, aligning D.C. with Maryland’s fee schedule

• Supported passage of the Stormiyah Denson-Jackson Act, which prohibits the use of race, ethnicity, or gender to reduce damages in lost earnings or earning capacity.

• Worked with Councilmember Gray to ensure licensing bill did not lower standards of care; passed Council in 2020.

• Mandatory Minimum Auto Insurance Reform: Continuing advocacy for the Motor Vehicle Insurance Modernization Act of 2025 to raise limits to $50,000/$100,000, with Enhanced UIM coverage and automatic increases. Broad coalition includes Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA), DC Families for Safe Streets, DC Pedestrian Advisory Council (DCPAC), Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), DC Multimodal Accessibility Council, Institute for Safer Trucking, Truck Safety Coalition, Bicyclists Advisory Council (BAC), and others.
• Autonomous Vehicles: Engaging Councilmembers on clear statutory definitions of “driver,” insurance responsibilities, and accountability as testing moves toward deployment. Supported by expert input from AAJ and academic leaders
• Settlements Involving Minor Children/Guardianship Reform: Supporting legislation to eliminate mandatory guardianships in most settlements, allowing blocked accounts or alternative fiduciary arrangements with judicial oversight
• Public Sector Workers’ Compensation: Advocating for reforms to bring the public sector system in line with private sector protections, including fair adjudication and recognition of permanent total disability
• Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing: Monitoring legislation to ensure fair insurance coverage and vicarious liability protections

• UM/UIM coverage for for-hire vehicles such as Uber and Lyft
• Banning forced arbitration clauses in insurance contracts
• Sunshine in Litigation to prevent secrecy in cases involving public hazards
• Guardianship law improvements for vulnerable individuals
• Financial responsibility for scooter and e-bike rentals
• Court reporter pricing and authentication of satellite images
• Continued monitoring of corporate personal jurisdiction in light of Mallory v. Norfolk Southern