Georgia
Georgia Gov. Kemp tells business group that he wants to limit lawsuits, big legal judgments
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Tuesday that he wants to make it harder for people to file lawsuits and win big legal judgments, arguing that suits are driving up insurance and business costs.
“The laws on our books make it too easy to bring frivolous lawsuits against Georgia business owners which drive up the price of insurance and stop new, good-paying jobs from ever coming to communities that need them the most,” Kemp told the Georgia of Chamber of Commerce during a speech in Athens.
He argued that the state’s high auto insurance rates were among the harms.
Kemp’s remarks brought a partisan tone to the annual chamber event, even as Democratic senator Jon Ossoff argued that a bipartisan approach was best for Georgia.
“Let’s work together,” Ossoff exhorted the largely Republican business group. “Let’s put politics aside.”
The chamber has long supported limits on lawsuits, but their efforts have stalled in the legislature in recent years. Kemp’s speech signals that he will back the chamber, which endorsed his 2022 reelection.
Georgia lawmakers capped noneconomic damages including pain and suffering in a 2005 tort reform law, but the state Supreme Court overturned such caps as unconstitutional in 2010.
The announcement sets up a major fight when the General Assembly convenes in 2024. This year, Kemp pushed into law almost all of the agenda he sought when he was reelected, leaving him able to launch new initiatives.
The decision lines up with Kemp’s background as a property developer. Owners of commercial properties and apartment complexes have been some of the biggest supporters of lawsuit limits. Another big backer is the trucking industry. Kemp called the burdens on those industries “unacceptable.”
“Local trucking companies either can’t afford the insurance they’re offered, or can’t find a carrier altogether, and business owners live in fear of being sued for ridiculous claims on their property,” Kemp said.
Kemp said his call to “level the playing field in our courtrooms” will cut insurance premiums and help create more jobs.
Linking the issue to auto insurance rates could help. Georgia had the eighth most expensive average auto insurance premiums in 2020, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, with an average premium of 1,254.83. Rates were the central issue in the 2020 election for state insurance commissioner.
It’s unclear what might emerge. But a business-backed plan in 2020 sought to limit damages for defective products to $250,000, make it harder to sue property owners for harms on their property caused by someone else, and bar plaintiff’s lawyers from arguing for a specific amount of money before a jury. Business groups also say Georgia should change its practice of allowing plaintiffs to sue an insurance company at the same time they sue a trucking company.
Republicans mostly support restrictions and Democrats mostly oppose them.
“I think that parties who have been harmed or injured or exploited or abused deserve an opportunity through our justice system to pursue redress,” Ossoff told reporters before the event. “And of course, it’s also the case that businesses sometimes bear the cost of responding to abusive litigation. So it’s about striking the right balance.”
Ossoff was at pains to emphasize his bipartisanship, saying Georgia is at its best when everyone is “all pulling in the same direction.”
“You will not find me investing my time courting controversy on national cable news or posting insults on social media,” Ossoff said. “That’s not the way to get things done for Georgia and my job is to get things done for Georgia.”
Ossoff’s remarks come a little more than a month after Kemp attacked Democrats at the groundbreaking for a supplier of electric battery material in Bainbridge. Kemp has said Georgia Republicans — not President Joe Biden’s administration — should get the credit for attracting electric vehicle makers to the state. Ossoff argues the electric vehicle boom wouldn’t happen without Democratic policies, but argues “we’re all on the same team, and that’s team Georgia.”
Kemp could challenge Ossoff for his Senate seat in 2026.
Georgia
Georgia Lottery Mega Millions, Cash 3 results for Dec. 24, 2024
The Georgia Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 24, 2024, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from Dec. 24 drawing
11-14-38-45-46, Mega Ball: 03, Megaplier: 3
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 3 numbers from Dec. 24 drawing
Midday: 2-1-3
Evening: 7-9-7
Night: 3-4-6
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 4 numbers from Dec. 24 drawing
Midday: 4-5-8-6
Evening: 4-7-0-7
Night: 4-7-9-2
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash4Life numbers from Dec. 24 drawing
07-23-25-46-57, Cash Ball: 03
Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 24 drawing
Early Bird: 03
Matinee: 08
Drive Time: 04
Primetime: 05
Night Owl: 11
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Georgia FIVE numbers from Dec. 24 drawing
Midday: 2-8-4-4-7
Evening: 7-6-6-4-6
Check Georgia FIVE payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Fantasy 5 numbers from Dec. 24 drawing
04-15-25-37-42
Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes under $601: Can be claimed at any Georgia Lottery retail location. ALL PRIZES can be claimed by mail to: Georgia Lottery Corporation, P.O. Box 56966, Atlanta, GA 30343.
- Prizes over $600: Must be claimed at Georgia Lottery Headquarters or any Georgia Lottery district office or mailed to the Georgia Lottery for payment.
When are the Georgia Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
- Cash 3 (Midday): 12:29 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash 3 (Evening): 6:59 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash 3 (Night): 11:34 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash 4 (Midday): 12:29 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash 4 (Evening): 6:59 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash 4 (Night): 11:34 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash 4 Life: 9:00 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash Pop (Early Bird): 8:00 a.m. ET daily.
- Cash Pop (Matinee): 1:00 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash Pop (Drive Time): 5:00 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash Pop (Primetime): 8:00 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash Pop (Night Owl): 11:59 p.m. ET daily.
- Georgia FIVE (Midday): 12:29 p.m. ET daily.
- Georgia FIVE (Evening): 6:59 p.m. ET daily.
- Fantasy 5: 11:34 p.m. ET daily.
- Jumbo Bucks Lotto: 11:00 p.m. ET on Monday and Thursday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Georgia editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Georgia
Georgia's immigrant communities brace for mass deportations in new Trump term
Immigrant families across Georgia are having difficult conversations around the table this holiday season, preparing for the possibility of mass deportations when President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.
The president-elect has vowed to implement what he has called the “largest deportation program in American history,” and has discussed using the military to do so.
Members of Atlanta’s Hispanic community recently gathered in Brookhaven for a town hall meeting to discuss these policies’ potential impact, and what the weeks and months to come could look like.
“We’ve started preparing the community for what might happen,” Santiago Marquez, CEO of the Buford-based Latin American Association (LAA), said. “For mixed-status families that we have talked to, there’s fear and concern.”
This year, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported that 4,500 people in the Atlanta metro area who were in the country illegally have been deported.
The debate over immigration enforcement intensified after the murder of nursing student Laken Riley in Athens at the hands Venezuelan national Jose Ibarra.
That fueled calls from Republicans for an immigration crackdown.
President-elect Trump has promised to bring troops into communities nationwide to aid in carrying out deportations.
Mark Nevitt, an associate professor at Emory Law, explained the legal framework that could be invoked to facilitate such actions.
“The president does have broad authorities under a law called the Insurrection Act,” Nevitt said. “He’d have to declare an insurrection, which is arguably not the case in this specific instance. There’s not sort of an open insurrection against the president.”
He warned that doing so could harm civil-military relations, threaten civil liberties, and endanger lives.
There are also concerns about the psychological and emotional toll these measures could have on immigrant communities.
“I think that would be terrifying to a lot of people. It might remind them of their countries that they fled,” he said.
Marquez advises individuals who could be affected to educate themselves on their legal rights and to create a contingency plan while awaiting further details on the president-elect’s policies. The LAA has more information on its website.
The Source: FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Rob DiRienzo cited statements from President-elect Donald Trump and spoke to the CEO of the Latin American Association and Emory Law associate professor Mark Nevitt for the information provided in this article.
Georgia
How Georgia Fans Should Remember Carson Beck
With Carson Beck’s season over, here is how the Bulldogs’ fanbase should look back on his time as Georgia’s quarterback.
Earlier this week, reports surfaced that Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck received surgery to repair the UCL ligament in his throwing arm. Subsequently ending his 2024 season and likely concluding his time as a Georgia Bulldog. With Beck’s collegiate career seemingly over, how should Georgia fans reflect on the quarterback’s career in The Red and Black?
While Beck was only the starter during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, his story begins much before then. The quarterback was a highly touted member of the Bulldogs’ 2020 signing class and was listed as a 4-star at the time of his commitment. Unfortunately, his freshman season was anything but normal, as the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic shortened all college football seasons and even saw numerous games canceled.
Following the conclusion of his freshman season, Beck seemed poised to at the very least earn some playing time during the regular season. As spring scrimmages and fall camps concluded, reports sprinkled in that Beck had made massive strides from his freshman year and was likely the second-string quarterback behind starter JT Daniels. However, once Daniels was sidelined with an injury early into the 2021 season, Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs’ staff elected to name Stetson Bennett the starter of the Bulldogs’ offense due to his experience.
Beck would see action sparingly throughout the year, while Bennett went on to lead the Dawgs to their first national title in over 40 years. Following the 2021 season, Bennett announced that he would be returning for one more season as the Bulldogs’ quarterback. This led to many fans anticipating Beck to enter the transfer portal and look for opportunities elsewhere.
Despite expectations to transfer, Beck remained steadfast in his loyalty to the “G” and served as the Bulldogs’ backup for the 2022 season. Once the season concluded, the Bulldogs were on a massive win streak and had just completed the first back-to-back national title victory in the College Football Playoff era. Placing immense pressure on whoever the next starting quarterback would be.
Following an intense position battle with Brock Vandagriff ahead of the 2023 season, Carson Beck was named Georgia’s starting quarterback after waiting for three seasons. Subsequently tasking Beck with maintaining the longest win streak in Bulldogs history, winning a third straight national title, and doing so with a brand-new offensive coordinator. Understandably, the Dawgs offense struggled at times throughout the 2023 season and much of the blame was undeservedly placed on Beck.
Despite criticism, Beck finished his first year as a starter with the highest single-season completion percentage in Georgia football history and led the Bulldogs to a dominating victory over Florida State in the Orange Bowl. With Beck’s 4th collegiate season concluded anticipations of him entering the NFL Draft began to rise. But once again, the quarterback’s loyalty to Georgia shined through as he elected to come back for one more season as the Dawgs’ quarterback.
As the 2024 season approached, expectations for Beck and the Georgia offense remained extremely high. Unfortunately, suspensions, injuries, and lackluster play from surrounding talent led to numerous games where the Bulldogs’ offense struggled. Beck had his fair share of struggles as well and went through a rough period of games throughout the regular season, which led to him receiving mass amounts of criticism and was often the subject of many jokes.
However, Beck once again overcame the criticisms and led the Dawgs to an SEC title appearance against all odds. Sadly, the SEC Championship would be his last appearance as Georgia’s quarterback, as he would suffer an injury to his throwing arm that would require surgery.
Carson Beck’s lengthy story with the Georgia Bulldogs certainly did not have the storybook ending that many would have liked to see. But that is far from the legacy that the quarterback is leaving behind. In an era where players demand absorbent amounts of money to commit, transfer when they don’t play, and head off to the NFL Draft as soon as possible. Carson Beck was an outlier for Georgia and dedicated his entire college career (and then some) to the Bulldogs.
The term “Damn Good Dawg” (or DGD for short) is used by the Georgia fanbase and is reserved for only the most deserving of Bulldogs. While Carson Beck likely won’t go down as the greatest Georgia quarterback of all time, nor will his jersey be retired anytime soon. The quarterback showed vast amounts of determination, poise, and loyalty that helped bring some of the greatest moments in the history of Georgia football and will absolutely go down in history as a “Damn Good Dawg.”
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