Bill > HB4325

This bill increases the civil penalty for barratry (the legal term for repeatedly and habitually filing frivolous lawsuits) from $10,000 to $50,000. Under the amended law, when a person successfully proves barratry in a legal action, they can recover $50,000 from each person who engaged in the prohibited conduct, plus actual damages caused by the conduct and reasonable attorney's fees. The bill specifies that these new penalty amounts will only apply to actions filed on or after the bill's effective date of September 1, 2025, meaning that legal actions filed before that date will be governed by the previous penalty amount of $10,000. By increasing the financial consequences for filing repeated groundless lawsuits, the bill aims to discourage the practice of barratry and protect the judicial system from unnecessary litigation.

Justice

https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=HB4325