Why North Carolina Needs Texas Sized Legal Reform: How ending lawsuit abuse can create jobs and prosperity for North Carolina

Please join Americans for Prosperity and Texans for Lawsuit Reform for a Texas themed Lunch and learn

"How the 'Lawsuit Capitol of the World' Became a National Model for Tort Reform, and Why North Carolina should follow suit”

Tickets are $20, or $25 at the door. 

Speakers include

Joseph M.Nixon

Of Counsel

Beirne Maynard & Parsons, LLP, Houston, Texas

Mr. Nixon was a member of the Texas House of Representatives (District 133), where he served as Chairman of the House Committee on Civil Practices. He was also a member of the House Committee on Juvenile Justice and Family Issues.

During the 77th Legislative Session, he was appointed by his Republican peers to serve as Republican Whip. The Speaker appointed him to co-chair a special interim committee on workers' compensation. During the 78th Legislative Session, Mr. Nixon authored and passed a comprehensive tort reform bill and the companion Constitutional Amendment, known as Proposition 12. The comprehensive tort reform bill addressed many long-ignored issues affecting the civil court system. It focused on bringing a balance to the civil justice system, reducing litigation costs, and addressing the role of litigation in society.

The bill modified rules and procedures, class action lawsuits, offers of settlement, proportionate responsibility, products liability, medical malpractice, charitable volunteer immunity and liability, and liability relating to asbestos claims. Public school teachers were also protected from frivolous claims. Texas voters approved this constitutional amendment in September 2003. Mr. Nixon has been a featured speaker for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on tort reform and has been designated as a "Legal Reform Champion" by the American Tort Reform Association.


Joseph Nixon's legal practice covers a broad range of civil litigation issues. The subject matter of his more than 1000 cases has varied from the highly complex, such as class actions involving securities fraud, large contract disputes for public oil and gas companies, and large multi-party product cases, to employment law, construction, professional negligence (engineers, architects), business torts, and simple contract disputes. Mr. Nixon has also defended insurance companies in matters regarding bad faith, deceptive trade practices, and insurance code violations.

Sherry Sylvester

Senior Advisor

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

Sherry has worked as a public interest lobbyist in Washington D.C. and four state capitols – Austin, Texas, Albany, New York, Trenton, New Jersey and Salem, Oregon advocating on policy issues including lawsuit reform, immigration reform, sentencing guidelines, prison conditions, affordable housing, urban planning, women’s health care and crime prevention, She has directed corporate advertising campaigns in New York and founded three successful, non-profit, community-based organizations.  In 1995, she was named Non-Profit Businesswoman of the Year in New Jersey. 

Peggy Venable

State Director

Americans for Prosperity - Texas

Peggy Venable has worked in public policy and grassroots campaigns -- in government, the political arena and the private sector -- for over 30 years. Peggy was the leader of the grassroots movement that helped pass tort reform in Texas.

A native Texan, Peggy spent 15 years in Washington, D.C., working for three Administrations.  During that time, she worked on public policy issues in the areas of education, natural resources, energy and transportation. 

Peggy was White House Liaison for the US Department of the Interior and the Department of Education.  She was at the Department of Education when the idea for “A Nation at Risk” was conceived, which was our country’s first “wakeup call” that our education system was falling behind.  Peggy is the Texas State Director of Americans for Prosperity, which has over 96,000 activists who support free market public policies.  She has served as a taxpayer advocate in Texas for 17 years.