Morgan Carroll: Trial Lawyers’ Biggest Ally

As the Colorado legislative session wound down, Morgan Carroll was pushing legislation that was so obviously a handout to the trial lawyer community (of which Carroll has long been a fixture) that Senate Democrats joined the GOP in nearly unanimously opposing the bill. But this isn’t the first time Carroll has favored legislative action that would benefit trial lawyers to the detriment of everyday Coloradans.

In 2014, Carroll – as Senate President – procedurally killed a construction defects reform bill that aimed to spur condominium construction and boost affordable housing in Colorado. In 2013, an independent report found that the major factor inhibiting condominium construction in the Denver area was a statewide construction defects litigation law that makes it easy for a small group of condominium owners to file class-action lawsuits against builders over construction problems.

Because costs attributed to construction defects were 12 times higher for condominiums than for apartment buildings, construction defects litigation added about $15,000 per unit to the cost of building condos. As a result, the only type of condominiums likely to be built in the near future were high-cost units.

But none of that matters to Carroll. Simply put, Carroll would rather keep the current laws that make it easier for trial lawyers to rake in cash than pursue reforms to help everyday Coloradans who are suffering from the state’s lack of affordable housing. Trial lawyers like Morgan Carroll cash in while everyday Coloradans pay the price.

NRCC Comment: “Throughout her political career, Morgan Carroll has championed the interests of trial lawyers at the expense of hardworking Colorado families. Using political clout, trial lawyers like Morgan Carroll cash in while everyday Coloradans pay the price.” – NRCC Spokesman Zach Hunter