Georgia
How will the Georgia Legislature impose lawsuit award limits? • Georgia Recorder
Just a few days into Georgia’s 2025 legislative session, proposed new limits on lawsuit awards is a priority trumpeted by business groups, some lawmakers and the governor alike as one of the top issues of the year.
At last week’s State of the State address, Gov. Brian Kemp emphasized the importance of passing legislation to transform Georgia’s legal landscape by the end of the 2025 session in early April, citing a rise in insurance rates or difficulty acquiring coverage that he says threatens businesses across the state.
“Small business owners reported insurance premiums up anywhere from 30% to over 100% over the last few years, costing them hundreds, hundreds of thousands or millions or more just to get basic coverage,” he said during his address. “For too many of them, that meant holding back on hiring more employees, waiting to grow their business, or making difficult decisions about whether or not they could even keep the lights on. For others, the biggest problem was a complete lack of insurance options or the threat of paying thousands or millions to fend off excessive lawsuits.”
Proponents of overhauling Georgia’s legal landscape say they aim to create more balance between plaintiffs and defendants in Georgia’s court system, often citing an American Tort Reform Foundation ranking which listed Georgia as one of the top five “judicial hellholes” in the country in 2024.
Kemp has yet to release a specific policy proposal, but a recent report from Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King could point to the direction state leaders will take in pursuing changes. The report, commissioned as a result of last session’s Kemp-backed House Bill 1114, initiated a data-collection effort designed to examine Georgia’s current insurance landscape and make recommendations to make the balance of power more friendly to business.
But proponents of the yet-to-be-detailed proposals will be up against Georgia’s civil trial attorneys – some of who serve in the Legislature – and others who are wary of changes that limit access to justice for aggrieved Georgians.
Here are some of the report’s recommended policy changes.
Limiting ‘nuclear verdicts’
One of the most significant changes pushed by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce is limiting “nuclear verdicts” — or damages that exceed $10 million.
Anecdotal evidence cited in the report argues that legislation limiting non-economic damages — such as money awarded for pain and suffering — may help reduce the frequency of large payouts, which business leaders argue are driving up insurance costs across the board.
“An insurance claim is, ‘you won the lottery,’ and we have to change that back,” King said at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s annual Eggs and Issues event last week. “This is to fix your damages, to get you back on your feet, to take care of your injuries, but this is not a lottery.”
One proposal to reduce large jury awards is to limit the use of “anchoring” — or allowing a plaintiff’s lawyers to suggest a monetary value as proposed compensation for pain and suffering. The practice is explicitly outlined in Georgia code, but advocates for limits on lawsuit awards argue that it sets the stage for juries to hand unreasonably high damages to plaintiffs.
“Georgia is one of the only states having a specific statute that allows ‘anchoring,’” the commissioner’s report says. “These unique factors and the increase in nuclear verdicts are reasons why Georgia continues to be identified in the American Tort Reform Association’s ‘Judicial Hellholes’ report as the nation’s most problematic jurisdiction.”
However, Democrats pushed back on the assertion that substantial lawsuit awards are a significant driver of insurance rate increases.
“What we really have to understand is, is there integrity in their position on why rates keep rising for Georgians?” said Rep. Tanya Miller, an Atlanta Democrat who serves as chair of the House Minority Caucus. “It is not, I think, accurate to say that jury verdicts are the sole reason for why insurance rates are rising. I would like to see a robust discussion had about whether and how insurance companies are forced to be transparent when they raise their rates on our citizens.”
Former state Rep. Matthew Wilson, a personal injury lawyer in Atlanta and member of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association’s executive committee, also questioned the commissioner’s report.
To put it bluntly, I think the insurance commissioner’s data analysis is a sham, and we are all being lied to,” he said, adding that the data collected from insurance companies did not support some of the report’s conclusions.
“One of the big claims that this report says is there’s a crisis of increased [insurance] claims,” he said. “And I think one of the big data points that a number of folks have latched onto here is that there’s been a 25% increase in the number of claims over this 10-year period. But what the commissioner’s report fails to do is to adjust that data for population growth, and when that is adjusted, what the data shows over that 10-year period is that actually, claims have been relatively stable and if anything, they’re slightly decreasing in recent years.”
The Georgia Trial Lawyers Association is hoping to collaborate with the governor’s office and state legislators to craft policy proposals that are fair to both sides, Wilson said. But reforms that limit consumer’s constitutional rights are “going to be a non-starter.”
Limiting liability on private property
Legislation that limits lawsuits against business owners for accidents that occur on their property might be another tactic that lawmakers pursue during the 2025 session.
There have been recent multimillion dollar settlements awarded in Georgia, including a $16 million verdict against Amazon in 2022, and a $45 million verdict against CVS that led the Georgia Supreme Court to set a new precedent on the kinds of evidence that juries can account for when awarding damages.
Chris Clark, the president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, said overhauling the current premises liability rules will be one of his organization’s top priorities going into the 2025 legislative session.
“It shouldn’t be legal for two bad guys to come on your property, hurt each other and then you’re to blame and you get sued for it,” he told reporters during the chamber’s Eggs and Issues breakfast.
Limiting third-party lawsuit funding
While some aspects of the proposed lawsuit litigation overhaul are Georgia-specific, attempts to regulate the use of third-party sources of funding for lawsuits are popping up nationwide. The use of third-party funding for damages lawsuits is a multibillion dollar industry, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and works by allowing hedge funds and other investment groups to finance lawsuits in exchange for a portion of anticipated damages awarded to the plaintiffs.
Critics of the practice, which is sometimes referred to as champerty, say that it allows private equity groups to exert influence over trials, and may give foreign actors access to sensitive information they would not otherwise be able to obtain. Plaintiffs are also not required to disclose the use of outside funding, allowing these subsidies to go unregulated.
Third-party litigation funders are “not just trying to help people win, they’re trying to collect big rates of return on their investments in suing insurance companies,” said Harold Weston, a business professor at Georgia State University who serves as director of the undergraduate risk management and insurance program. “That’s not the way it should work.”
States including Indiana, Louisiana and West Virginia all passed new restrictions against the practice in 2024, requiring plaintiffs to disclose any use of third-party funding. Weston said that adopting similar reforms in Georgia could give both judges and juries a clearer sense of what forces may be influencing a case before deciding whether to award damages.
“Juries don’t know this,” he said. “Courts often do not know this, because these investors — third party finance — are not disclosed to any of them.”
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
ATHENS — Georgia will hold its annual spring game on Saturday, April 18. Below you can find live updates, the score and rosters for the 2026 G-Day game.
Georgia will have the red team, featuring the first team offense and second team defense, taking on the black team, which will be the first team offense and second team defense.
Georgia football live updates, highlights, roster for 2026 G-Day game
Seventh Drive Black- Red 17, Black 7
Hezekiah Millender completes a short pass to Jeremy Bell for 2 yards. Millender goes back to Bell for a gain of 10 yards. Then, Jae Lamar rushes to the left for 4 yards. Millender is sacked by Khamari Brooks for a loss of 7 yards. On 3rd & 13, Millender passes to Brayden Fogle for 32 yards. Jae Lamar picks up 5 yards on the ground. Team Black picks up the first down on a 7 yard reception by Will Taylor. Then, Bo Walker carries for a 2 yard gain. On the 10 yard line, Jae Lamar picks up 9 yards to put his team on the 1 yard line. Millender keeps for a TD.
Third Quarter
Sixth Drive Black- Red 17, Black 0
Hezekiah Millender completes a short pass to Bo Walker for 4 yards. Then Millender completes another pass to Ethan Barbour for 20 yards. After back to back it to back incomplete passes, Harran Zuriekat in brought in to kick a 48 yard FG which he narrowly misses.
Sixth Drive Red- Red 17, Black 0
Gunner Stockton completes a short pass to Craig Dandridge complete for 8 yards. Stockton attempts to get it to Dandridge again but it is incomplete. Josh Horton receives an offsides penalty which gives team Red the first down. Back to back incomplete passes by Gunner Stockton ends the drive for the Red Team.
Fifth Drive Black- Red 17, Black O
Todd Robinson picks off Ryan Montgomery’s pass intended for Ethan Barbour
Fifth Drive Red- Red 17, Black O
10 Plays 65 Yards, 5:10
The drive begins with a Ryan Puglisi incomplete pass intended for Elyiss Williams and the next play sees another incomplete pass intended for CJ Wiley. Team red picks up the first down thanks to Puglisi’s 32 yards pass to Talyn Taylor. Dwight Phillips Jr see back to back carries for a totaly gain of 3 yards. On 3rd & 7, Chauncey Bowens rushes to the left for 10 yards. On the 20 yard line, Puglisi completes a short pass to Elyiss Williams for 2 yards. Then Ryan Pugli’s pass to Jaden Reddell is good for 16 yards and a first down to put Team Red at the 4. Dwight Phillips Jr rushes up the middle for 3 yards. On 2nd & 1, Dwight Phillips Jr finds the endzone.
Fourth Drive Black- Red 10, Black 0
Ryan Montgomery’s pass intended for Ethan Barbour is incomplete. Dante Dowdell rushes to the left for a gain of 27 yards. Montgomery’s pass to Jeremy Bell is complete for 4 yards. On 2nd & 6, Bo Walker carries up the middle for a gain of 4 yards followed by another Walker carry for no gain. The drive ends after an incomplete pass intended for Talyn Taylor.
Fourth Drive Red- Red 10, Black 0
Chauncey Bowens rushes up the middle for a gain of 4 yards. Ryan Puglisi scrambles to pick up 1 yard. On 3rd & 5, Puglisi’s passed is tipped by Justin Greene.
Third Drive Black- Red 10, Black 0
On the first play, Jeremy Bell rushes for 35 yards but Lincoln Keyes draws a holding penalty. Then, Bell rushes again but there is no gain. On 3rd down, Montgomery’s pass intended for Ethan Barbour is incomplete.
Third Drive Red- Red 10, Black 0
8 Plays, 67 Yards, 4:32
Gunner Stockton’s pas intended for Craig Dandridge is incomplete. Chauncey Bowens breaks loose for an 18 yard rush. After an imcomplete pass intended for Talyn Taylor, Stockton completes a pass to Dwight Phillips Jr for 19 yards. Bowens takes a tackle for loss that brings the Red team back to the 32. Jaden Reddell gets involved with a 23 yard carry. On 1st & 9, Chauncey Bowens rushes up the middle for a gain of 2 yards. The Red Team scores on a 7 yard reception by Jaden Reddell.
2nd Quarter
Second Drive Black- Red 3, Black 0
Ryan Montgomery completes a pass to Kaiden Prothro for 2 yards followed by another pass to Prothro for 7 yards. On 3rd & 1, Bo Walker fumbles.
Second Drive Red- Red 3, Black 0
8 Plays, 67 Yards, 4:40
Stockton completes a pass to Isiah Canion followed by Dwight Phillips Jr carries for a 2 yard gain. Dwight Phillips Jr breaks loose for an explosive run of 15 yards. Then, Stockton completes a pass to Craig Dandridge for 33 yards. On the 16 yard line, Chauncey Bowens picks up 4 yards. Bowens gets the ball on the next play but there is no gain. On 3rd down, Stockton keeps but is short of the 4th down so Peyton Woodring is brought in to kick a 26 yard field goal which he makes.
First Drive Black- Black 0, Red 0
The first play sees an incomplete pass by Ryan Puglisi, intended for Ethan Barbour. Then, Nnmadi Ogboko gets the sack against Puglisi for a loss of 4 yards. On 3rd down Puglisi completes a pass to Jeremy Bell but it is short of the first down.
First Drive Red- Red 0, Black 0
The first play for the red team sees Nate Frazier rush for 5 yards. Then, Gunner Stockton pass to Chauncey Bowens is complete for yards. After an incomplete pass intended for Isiah Canion, Dwight Phillips Jr rushes for 7 yards. On 3rd down, Gunner Stockton keeps but is short of the first down.
1st Quarter
12:45 p.m. ET update: Couple of Bulldogs look like they won’t play today. As Georgia compeltes pregame warmups, wide receiver Sacovie White-Helton, linebacker Raylen Wilson and cornerback Demello Jones were not seen going through warmups. Cornerback Gentry Williams is in a white non-contact jersey, as is linebacker Zayden Walker. Both were dealing with shoulder injuries coming into today.
On the offensive line, Zykie Helton was working as the first-string right guard, with Juan Gaston at right tackle. Jah Jackson is also expected to play with the first-team offensive tackle.
11:30 p.m. ET: Georgia has released the rosters for the 2026 G-Day game. You can see them below.
RED TEAM
0 — Sacovie White-Helton
1 — Talyn Taylor
3 — Nate Frazier
4 — CJ Wiley
5 — Chauncey Bowens
6 — Isiah Canion
7 — Lawson Luckie
8 — Landon Roldan
10 — Zayden Walker
10 — Elyiss Williams
11 — Darren Ikinnagbon
12 — Ja’Marley Riddle
12 — Ryan Puglisi
13 — AJ Kruah
13 — Tyler J. Williams
14 — Gunner Stockton
15 — Khamari Brooks
15 — Ryan Montgomery
16 — London Humphreys
18 — Caden Harris
20 — Dwight Phillips Jr.
22 — Todd Robinson
23 — Tyriq Green
23 — Jaden Reddell
27 — Balke Stewart
28 — Walter Blanchard
28 — Jordan Smith
29 — Isaiah Gibson
32 — Jaylan Morgan
33 — PJ Dean
35 — Elijah Littlejohn
36 — Daniel Okonkwo
38 — AJ Lonon
39 — Will Snellings
41 — Carter Luckie
42 — Nick Abrams II
45 — Terrence Penick
48 — Duncan Carpenter
50 — Cortez Smith
52 — Valdin Sone
55 — Zykie Helton
55 — London Seymour
63 — Dontrell Glover
64 — Jahzare Jackson
71 — Earnest Greene
73 — Juan Gaston
74 — Drew Bobo
82 — Craig Dandridge
82 — Colton Heinrich
91 — Peyton Woodring
92 — Preston Carey
94 — Henry Bates
95 — Nnamdi Ogboko
96 — JJ Hanne
97 — Wade Register
BLACK TEAM
0 — Gabe Harris
1 — Ellis Robinson IV
2 — Thomas Blackshear
2 — Zion Branch
3 — Quintavius Johnson
4 — KJ Bolden
5 — Raylen Wilson
7 — Khalil Barnes
8 — Demello Jones
9 — Ethan Barbour
9 — Chris Cole
11 — Jeremy Bell
16 — Maurice Hayes
17 — Golter Ginn
17 — Amaris Williams
18 — Bryson Beaver
19 — Hezekiah Millender
19 — Justin Williams
20 — Zech Fort
22 — Donte Dowdell
24 — Braylon Conley
24 — Bo Walker
25 — Jake Bobo
25 — Jontae Gilbert
26 — Micah Bell
26 — Gentry Williams
27 — Rasean Dinkins
27 — Jae Lamar
30 — Terrell Foster
31 — Kyron Jones
31 — Wade Penn
36 — Jackson St. Clair
37 — Ben McElreath
41 — David Lalaian
44 — Jordan Hall
45 — Eli Barrow
46 — Danny Curan
47 — Will Taylor
51 — Malachi Toliver
52 — Michael Uini
53 — Zach Lewis
54 — Waltclaire Flynn
60 — Henry Peagler
65 — Dennis Uzochukwu
66 — Tyreek Jemison
67 — Clinton Barlow
69 — Graham Houston
70 — Daniel Calhoun
72 — Ekene Ogboko
75 — Mason Short
76 — Marcus Harrison
78 — Tate Helms
79 — TyQuez Richardson
80 — Kaiden Prothro
81 — Josh Horton
83 — Brady Holbert
84 — Dallas Dickerson
85 — Chase Linton
85 — Ryan Mosley
87 — Lincoln Keyes
88 — Brayden Fogle
88 — Nasir Johnson
90 — Elijah Griffin
90 — Drew Miller
91 — Justin Greene
94 — Xzavier McLeod
98 — Connor Ferguson
99 — Joseph Jonah-Ajonye
99 — Harran Zuriekat
Georgia will be without a few key players on Saturday, as outside linebacker Amaris Williams and cornerback Ellis Robinson are not expected to play due to injury.
Georgia spring game: How to watch 2026 G-Day online
This game will not be streamed over traditional cable. You can still watch the game if you have a cable subscription to ESPN. Visit the WatchESPN tab on ESPN’s homepage and find the game on either ESPN+ or SECNetwork+. Click here to watch the game.
Below is a video walking through how to watch the game.
Georgia spring game game time for 2026 G-Day
The Georgia spring game starts at 1 p.m. ET.
Georgia spring game TV Network for 2026 G-Day
The Georgia spring game will be broadcast on SECNetwork+/ESPN+.
Georgia spring game radio options for 2026 G-Day
The G-Day scrimmage can be heard loclally on WNGC 106.1, 95.5 WSB and WXKT 103.7. G-Day will also be distributed to all network affiliates and the game will be available on the Georgia Bulldogs app.
Georgia spring game rosters for 2026 G-Day
*These have not been released by UGA yet. This section will be updated as soon as the rosters are available.
WR Ted Hurst
- Height: 6’4”
- Weight: 206 lbs
- Class: Senior
- School: Georgia State
- Hands: 9 ¾”
- Arm length: 32 ⅝”
- 40-yard dash: 4.42s
- 10-Yard Split: 1.55s
- Vertical Jump: 36 ½”
- Broad Jump: 11’3”
- STATS
An unranked recruit out of Johnson High School in Savannah, Georgia, where he enrolled at Valdosta State and played two years at the small school before transferring to Georgia State in 2024.
He was a three star recruit in the transfer portal; the 211th wide receiver, and the 1,624th player. Hurst was raised in a military family and his brother, Darrell Myers Jr. was a wide receiver for Valdosta State when they won the 2018 Division II National Championship.
Hurst dominated the smaller level of competition and caught 61.1% of his contested catches during his two years at Georgia State. He dropped 14 passes (drop rate of 9.7%) and his average yards per reception was 15.4-yards with an 14.8-yard aDot and a 2.18 yards per route run number.
Hurst had an excellent 2026 NFL Scouting Combine and has quietly been a “sleeper” during the draft process.
Strengths
- Elite size + fluidity combination
- Solid thickness + muscle definition + excellent AA
- Excellent size/speed/fluidity combination
- Long strider with IMPRESSIVE acceleration and stop/start
- Has an explosive second gear
- Above-average change of direction + excellent explosiveness on in-breaking routes
- Swift transitions on the vertical plane
- Quickly gets his numbers back to the QB on curls/comeback
- Excellent ability to gear down on the vertical plane
- Very good ball skills – tracks and secures deep balls well
- Concentration is great – can pluck away from his frame
- Has acrobatic catch ability
- Wide catch radius with above-average hands
- Solid YAC ability
Weaknesses
- Limited route tree
- Route nuance and pacing could improve
- Solid YAC ability, but won’t consistently make NFL defenders miss
- Not much special teams in his past
- Was not used much as a run blocker
Summary
Ted Hurst possesses a rare blend of size, speed, and fluidity. He has an elite ability to smoothly transition/break on routes within the vertical plane (comeback/curl); he has great hip bend and explodes out of his breaks with above-average suddenness.
Hurst has traits that any WR coach would love to develop + his ball-skills are great. He’s a developmental option with a high ceiling, but his route running, timing, and ability to consistently beat NFL athletes must be refined and/or proven. He’s a high upside traits pick that may find his way into Day 2.
GRADE: 6.22
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What to expect from Georgia’s quarterback room during the spring game.
While the Georgia Bulldogs do not have a quarterback battle occuring at the moment for the starting spot, it’s still a very important position to pay attention to during the spring game. Gunner Stockton returns as the starter, but fans have not gotten to see the guys behind Stockton a whole lot throughout their careers.
With that said, here is what fans expect to see from Georgia’s quarterback room during the spring scrimmage on Saturday.
What to Expect from Georgia’s Quarterback Room on Saturday
For starters, fans should not expect to see a whole lot from Stockton. He has been with the program for a long time now. The coaching staff knows what they have in him, so the most important part is that he is ready to go when the fall rolls around.
What’s more important is for Georgia to get a good look at guys like Ryan Puglisi and Ryan Montgomery on Saturday. Puglisi served as the backup quarterback last season, but with Montgomery fully healthy this offseason, it could create a little bit of a battle for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart.
So the expectation should be that Puglisi and Montgomery get the bulk of the reps during Saturday’s scrimmage. The best way to get in good graces with Georgia’s coaching staff at quarterback is to not turn the ball over and have the offense stay ahead of the sticks.
Puglisi has all of the tools in the world to be successful at the college level. The arm talent is there and he is the perfect mold for what most are looking for in a quarterback. However, he did turn the ball over against Kentucky in some limited playing time last season, so it will be important to see if he has cleaned that up this year.
As for Montomgery, this is the first real look fans will get of him since he got to Athens. He was rehabbing a knee injury he suffered during his senior season in high school last spring, but is a full go this year.
Fans can also expect to see Colter Ginn, Hezekiah Millender and Bryson Beaver some this weekend as well. Beaver got to Georgia in January after transferring out of Oregon.
Fans who are not able to attend Saturday’s spring scrimmage will be able to watch the game on ESPN+. Kickoff is set for 1 PM ET.
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