LAWSUIT ABUSE: VICTOR SCHWARTZ AND WEST VIRGINIA DR. GREGORY SARACCO, M.D. AT CPAC'S
30TH ANNIVERSARY
Thursday, January 16, 2003

Alexandria, VA - Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Chairman David A. Keene today announced that Victor Schwartz, of Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP co-author of the most widely used torts casebook in the U.S, and General Counsel to the American Torts Association, and West Virginia Dr. Gregory Saracco, M.D. will be featured on a panel entitled: "Lawsuit Abuse: A 21st Century Strategy for Tort Reform." The panel will take place at 2:20 pm on Saturday, February 1, 2003 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia. The three-day conference begins on Thursday, January 30, 2003.

The panel will also feature Jim Wooton of the Institute for Legal Reform and will be moderated by Matthew Kibbe from Citizens for a Sound Economy.

"It is clear that lawsuit abuse-an issue debated for many years in legal circles-is an issue that, thankfully, seems to be gaining traction with the general public," said Keene. "Jury awards, in some instances, have become so excessive that the economic effect, as most predicted, is being absorbed at the most basic consumer level where health services are being curtailed or even denied."

"Dr. Saracco, M.D., a general and trauma surgeon from Wheeling, West Virginia, will give a report from the front lines in this debate," added Keene. "He is one of 18 surgeons who asked for a leave-of-absence to protest the state's punishing tort system of excessive jury awards, and his experiences in the most tort-friendly state in the nation, we know his presentation on this national issue will be of interest to CPAC's attendees."

In addition to the daily speeches and informative panels with prominent conservative grassroots leaders and Members of Congress, conference highlights include a tribute to Eagle Forum President Phyllis Schlafly during the Thursday evening Presidential Banquet and presentation of the Ronald Reagan Award the Friday evening Ronald Reagan Banquet. Vice President Dick Cheney will kick off the 30th Annual CPAC at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 30, 2003.

CPAC is a project of the American Conservative Union Foundation, in association with Young America's Foundation and Human Events. The conference is co-sponsored by over 70 of the nation's leading conservative organizations. For continued updates on the program or to register online, visit www.cpac.org.

"CPAC" is not a "political action committee (PAC)" as defined by federal law. The conference name and initials predate the creation of those entities and is merely coincidental.

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