Nader Asks Court to Remove Name From Initiative
Consumer activist Ralph Nader asked a Superior Court judge Monday to force the backers of a lawyer fee-limitation initiative to remove his name from their official ballot pamphlet statements.
The initiative, Proposition 202 on the March 26 ballot, would limit the contingency fees that lawyers receive in personal injury, wrongful death, product liability and other civil cases that are settled quickly.
Nader is opposed to the proposition.
The measure, intended to ease crowded court dockets and provide an incentive to expedite suits, is part of a three-initiative package pushed by a group of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs to limit lawyers’ fees, set up a no-fault insurance system and make it more difficult for shareholders to sue corporations for alleged securities law violations.
The proponents include Mike Johnson, a former employee of Public Citizen, a pro-consumer group founded by Nader.
Nader’s suit contends that Johnson’s rebuttal argument on behalf of the initiative implies that Nader and Public Citizen favor the initiative.
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