Atlanta, Ga. (May 6, 2025) - On April 22, 2025, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law Senate Bills 68 and 69 (collectively dubbed the “Comprehensive Tort Reform Legislation”), with the aim of curbing lawsuit abuse and the explosion of outsized nuclear verdicts in the state’s courts. This landmark legislation, which was widely supported by Georgia’s business community, makes a host of changes to Georgia law in the areas of civil practice, evidentiary matters, damages, and liability in tort actions.

Below is a summary of key changes made by the law.

Anchoring
Plaintiffs’ attorneys can no longer arbitrarily argue the monetary value of non-economic damages (such as pain and suffering) during the closing arguments of a trial. Instead, the new law requires that their arguments concerning non-economic damages be related to actual evidence. Moreover, if the plaintiff's attorney suggests a number, they must do so in their initial closing and cannot change it in rebuttal closing. However, the law does not impose a cap on the total amount of damages a jury can award.