FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
February 20, 2008

Contact: Mark McCaig 
mccaig (at) txir.org                                                                                   

Texans For Lawsuit Reform Dissolved by Secretary of State

Austin- Texans For Individual Rights (TXIR), a conservative public policy organization, released several documents today regarding the dissolution of Texas For Lawsuit Reform by the office of Texas Secretary of State Phil Wilson. The documents can be viewed on TXIR’s website, www.txir.org.

According to these documents, Texans For Lawsuit Reform was notified by the Office of the Secretary of State on September 11, 2007 that they were required to file a legally mandated periodic report. Texans For Lawsuit Reform failed to meet this deadline and was notified by the Office of the Secretary of State on October 12, 2007 that their right to conduct affairs had been forfeited for failure to submit this report. This letter also informed Texans for Lawsuit Reform that they would be dissolved if they did not submit the periodic report by February 11, 2008. On February 13, 2008, the Office of the Secretary of State ordered that Texans for Lawsuit Reform be involuntarily dissolved for failure to file the periodic report prescribed by law.

Mark McCaig, President of Texans for Individual Rights and a vocal critic of Texans Lawsuit Reform, stated “It is amazing that that a group that has worked for years to change the laws of Texas to make their backers immune from wrongdoing cannot follow the law themselves. No wonder they don’t think Texas voters are capable of electing good judges; they’re not even capable of filing out a simple form required to maintain their corporate status.” McCaig has also reserved the right to use the name “Texas For Lawsuit Reform” with the Office of the Secretary of State.

The Articles of Incorporation for Texans For Lawsuit Reform, which receives a 501(c)(6) “business league” tax exemption from the IRS, appear to require the distribution of their assets upon their dissolution. Article V of the Articles of Incorporation states “… and upon the dissolution of the corporation, the Treasurer, or if the corporation has no Treasurer, the President of the Corporation, shall, after paying or making provision for the payment of all liabilities of the corporation, distribute all remaining assets of the corporation to organizations which are dedicated to, and which shall use such assets toward accomplishing, the general purposes for which the corporation was organized.” Texans For Lawsuit Reform’s most recent publicly available tax filing reflects assets of $4,764,692.

“While the dissolution of Texans for Lawsuit Reform is certainly a major setback for them and their special interest agenda, ordinary Texans must be vigilant in protecting their civil justice system and right to a trial by jury from those who seek to destroy it.”, said McCaig.

Texans For Individual Rights (TXIR) is a conservative, non-partisan organization dedicated to the protection of personal liberty, individuals’ access to the civil justice system, and private property rights. For more information about TXIR, please visit www.txir.org.

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