A group of attorney generals in June sent a letter to congressional leaders over their opposition to the so-called “Class Action Fairness Act,” saying if enacted would result in far greater harm than good.

The act, which is scheduled for a Senate vote this week, limits the rights of consumers to sue companies for corporate wrongdoing in their state courts, the letter said. “We therefore strongly recommend that this legislation not be enacted in its present form,” attorney generals said in the letter.

The bill, S.2062, would remove all class actions brought by private individuals in state courts and force them into federal courts, which may result in many of these cases not being able to continue as class actions, the letter said.

“Particularly in these times of state fiscal constraints, class actions provide an important ‘private attorney general’ supplement to our efforts to obtain redress for violations of state consumer protection, civil rights, labor, public health and environmental laws,” the letter said.

New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer and Oklahoma Attorney General W.A. Drew Edmondson wrote the letter on behalf of their fellow attorney generals from California, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Vermont, and West Virginia.

The bill is opposed by organizations such as AARP, AFL-CIO, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, NAACP and Public Citizen in its present form, the attorney generals wrote.

(via Public Citizen)