(The Center Square) – Proposed legislation in Missouri would help stop woke lawfare and protect consumers from ideologies that activists attempt to reshape the nation with via lawsuits, a proponent of the says.
Executive director of consumer protection nonprofit Alliance for Consumers O.H. Skinner told The Center Square that Missouri State Rep. Ben Keathley “wants to take away the tools that activists are using to push political agendas onto consumers and reshape American society.”
The two bills in question proposed by Keathley are HB 2777, the “Public Nuisance Reform Act,” and HB 2667, the “Eliminate Criminal Profiteering Act.”
Skinner – who is a former Arizona solicitor general – told The Center Square that “legislation like what Keathley introduced tries to wipe away tools that activists and trial lawyers are using to foment woke lawfare.”
“Rep. Keathley wants to take away the ability of activists to use public nuisance as an ideological cudgel and stop trial lawyers from capitalizing on Defund The Police efforts and other left-wing lawlessness,” Skinner said.
Keathley’s HB 2777 is intended to bar lawsuits from stretching public-nuisance law “far beyond its traditional purpose,” and ensures that “only true public harms, caused directly by a defendant, can be the basis of a claim,” as stated by Alliance for Consumers media relations.
HB 2677 is meant to “stop criminals from profiting through lawsuits,” according to Alliance for Consumers.
Skinner told The Center Square how the relationship between the American Left and lawfare impacts the nation.
“If there is a policy the Left wants to change, something that they see in your life that doesn’t match their policy preferences, they have a lawsuit for solving that supposed deviation,” Skinner said.
“Woke lawfare is a primary vehicle by which activists are working to force progressive lifestyle choices onto everyday American consumers, especially consumers who live outside the coastal enclaves where the Left is ascendant,” Skinner said.
“Whether it’s using plastic straws, driving a gas-powered car, purchasing a gun, using a gas stove, or using fossil fuels for electricity – anyone engaged in an activity the Left doesn’t like, they will attempt to use woke lawfare to stop you in your tracks and take away your choices, leaving you only the option of progressive lifestyle choices,” Skinner said.
“These lawsuits are designed to wipe products off shelves, raise prices for consumers who don’t voluntarily make progressive lifestyle choices, and force policies onto consumers outside of the democratic process,” Skinner told The Center Square.
“It all comes down to you being able to live the life you want and raise your family the way you want rather than how an activist wants you to live,” Skinner said.
“Every consumer will be negatively impacted if woke lawfare is allowed to prevail, which is why we are raising awareness and calling on public officials to help protect consumers,” Skinner said.
The Center Square has covered many such cases in the past, one being a case involving Hawaii and energy companies.
In 2020, the City and County of Honolulu sued numerous energy companies, stating Chevron, Marathon, Exxon Mobil and others contributed to global climate change and are liable for any damages.
At the time, Skinner said that these “‘public nuisance’ lawsuits are the true threat to consumer freedom.”
“Progressive activists are attempting to bankrupt producers of the most popular consumer products, wiping choices off the shelf, simply because their products don’t align with a progressive world view,” Skinner said.
Keathley did not respond to The Center Square’s request for comment by publishing time.
