Will the GOP Finally Crush Class Actions?

Republicans and their business allies perennially push tort-reform bills aimed at restricting what’s sometimes called the litigation industry. They haven’t had much luck of late. It’s been 12 years since one of those measures succeeded. But with Donald Trump in the White House, pro-business groups see an opening for a series of bills moving through the House that would discourage class actions and generally make it harder to sue businesses.

It’s an issue the president has some experience with. Only days after his election, Trump agreed to pay $25 million to settle claims that his defunct Trump University cheated more than 6,000 students with false promises of teaching them his real estate secrets. On the other hand, Trump has frequently initiated suits against business adversaries, so it’s tricky to predict what position he’ll take. The White House did not respond to requests for comment.