California State Assembly Passes “Lindalee’s Law,” Landmark Legislation Balances Playing Field In Forced Medical Arbitration Agreements

Sacramento, CA – The Patient Equity Coalition announced that “Lindalee’s Law” (AB 1770), a bill by Assembly Assistant Majority Leader Robert Garcia (D-Rancho Cucamonga) passed the state assembly in a bipartisan vote. The bill, which protects patients forced into healthcare arbitration after a doctor or HMO makes a serious error, will now head to the state Senate.

“Today the Legislature sided with the millions of Californians who are covered by private health plans that force them into arbitration in order to pursue medical-malpractice claims,” said Garcia.  “The current forced medical arbitration system is set up to favor the HMOs, and Lindalee’s Law will bring much-needed balance to a system that often leaves consumers with no one in their corner. Empowering the Attorney General to ensure private health plans who force patients into arbitration are complying with existing law is a major step in protecting consumers and ensuring fairness in arbitration.”

“This is one of the first HMO arbitration reform bills to pass out of either house in as long as anyone can remember,” added Assemblymember Garcia. 

Currently, health consumers who have disputes with large health care plans are forced into an arbitration system where arbitrators are often financially dependent on repeat business from the very health care plans they are meant to be impartially judging. This tilts the scales in favor of the private health plans. Families who have experienced medical harm often endure multi-year delays and unethical litigation tactics with no real advocate to turn to. 

Lindalee’s Law (AB 1770) mandates that the Attorney General oversee health care service plans to ensure the comply with the California Arbitration Act and requires that all arbitration claims be conducted pursuant to the code of Civil Procedure, which closes loopholes that allow plans to bypass standard safeguards. By empowering the DOJ, the bill specifically targets financial bias and unethical practices to restore neutrality in the medical arbitration process.

“This is a bittersweet milestone in the fight for justice inspired by the terrible experiences in forced arbitration that my wife Lindalee and I shared,” said Stephen Martinez, founder of the Patient Equity Coalition. “I promised Lindalee before she passed that I would keep her fight alive so that other families wouldn’t be left experiencing injustice in forced medical arbitration after a horrific and preventable loss. With the state Assembly passage of AB 1770, we’re one step closer to that goal.”

For more information on Lindalee’s Law: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billAnalysisClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1770

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For more information on the Patient Equity Coalition visit: https://www.patientequitycoalition.org