Ordinary Citizens

    

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate was poised on Thursday to pass a bill curbing class action lawsuits after blocking attempts to weaken the measure.

The bill, sought by business and part of President Bush's drive to overhaul the legal system, would shift most class action lawsuits from state to federal courts, which have historically been less friendly to such cases.

Opponents, including many consumer and environmental groups and labor unions, fear that already overburdened federal courts won't take many of the cases, making it harder for ordinary citizens to hold big companies to account.

» ABC News: Senate Poised to Pass Class Action Suit Curbs