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Read. Follow. Verify.Oklahoma creates expedited civil court process for lawsuits seeking $250,000 or less
Last action · April 1, 2025: Second Reading referred to Judiciary
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What This Bill Proposed
Oklahoma establishes the Expedited Actions Act for civil lawsuits seeking monetary relief of $250,000 or less, capping judgments, limiting discovery and trial time, and taking effect November 1, 2025.
Litigants in civil suits under the $250,000 threshold face strict caps on discovery hours, written , trial lengths, and maximum recoverable judgments.
- The measure establishes a structured fast-track system for smaller civil lawsuits to reduce litigation costs and court backlogs. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Civil litigants
Plaintiffs and defendants involved in suits under $250,000 face strict caps on recovery, discovery limits, and shortened trial timeframes.
Attorneys
Legal counsel must conduct discovery, depositions, and trial presentations within compressed hourly and numerical limitations.
State courts
Judges are required to manage compressed discovery windows, enforce strict trial scheduling, and handle expedited alternative dispute resolution referrals.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of lawsuits qualify for the expedited actions process?
Can a lawsuit be removed from the expedited process once it starts?
How much time does each side get for trial in an expedited case?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · passed the House · in Senate committee.
Procedural history
13 actions- Apr 1, 2025SenateCommitteeSecond Reading referred to Judiciary
- Mar 18, 2025SenateIntroducedFirst Reading
- Mar 18, 2025HouseEngrossed, signed, to Senate
- Mar 17, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred for engrossment
- Mar 17, 2025HouseFloorThird Reading, Measure passed: Ayes: 83 Nays: 1
- Mar 17, 2025HouseGeneral Order
Show 7 earlier actions
- Mar 4, 2025HouseAuthored by Senator Howard (principal Senate author)
- Mar 4, 2025HouseFloorCR; Do Pass, amended by committee substitute Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight Committee
- Feb 17, 2025HouseFloorPolicy recommendation to the Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight committee; Do Pass, amended by committee substitute Civil Judiciary
- Feb 4, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to Civil Judiciary
- Feb 4, 2025HouseCommitteeSecond Reading referred to Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight
- Feb 3, 2025HouseAuthored by Representative Duel
- Feb 3, 2025HouseIntroducedFirst Reading
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Introduction of Binding Discovery and Trial Caps
The bill implements rigid statutory limits on discovery hours, written requests, and total trial time per side for qualifying civil suits.
Sources
www.oklegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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