Legislation Sen. Randy Gordon sponsored to end appellate abuses in civil cases has been signed into law. Gordon attended the signing this afternoon in the governor’s conference room in Olympia.

Currently, a person or company losing a case and who is ordered to pay a judgment may be tempted to file an appeal and invest the amount owed in investments earning more interest than the 2 percent interest rate pending judgments currently earn. Under Gordon’s bill, known as the Appellate Congestion Reduction Act, SB 6764, the interest rate on judgments against public agencies remains at 2 percentage points above the 26-week T-bill rate. The interest rate on judgments arising from the tortious conduct of any other individual or entity is 2 percentage points above the prime rate.

Gordon, a practicing attorney and law professor, is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. SB 6764 is the first bill he’s sponsored to be signed into law.