ALBANY— The head of a group pushing tort reform says Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s refusal to explain what he does to earn up to $750,000 from a prominent law firm raises a question of whether the payment is really a “huge political contribution.”
The stinging charge by Tom Stebbins, executive director of the Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York, came after Silver’s financial-disclosure forms showed his paycheck from the firm of Weitz & Luxenberg had swelled to between $650,000 to $750,000 last year, up as much as $300,000 in 2012.
Stebbins said he couldn’t find a single case Silver had litigated, outside his role as Assembly speaker, since 1989.
“One has to wonder if this is a huge political contribution. How is he being paid if he is not in court?” he said.
Silver spokesman Mike Whyland replied, “This is an Astroturf group motivated by self-interest and comprised of insurance representatives who never want to pay claims . . . and right-wing zealots who want to take away the ability of ordinary citizens who have been harmed.’’