Big business spends billions of dollars every year in efforts to restrict laymen’s access to the civil justice system to prevent them from being able to sue corporations for negligence. They work hard to create the myth of a jury system that is “out of control,” and in desperate need of tort reform. The Institute for Legal Reform (ILR), composed of many large and recognizable corporations, tries to convince the public that American businesses cannot prosper under the current legal system, because there are too many frivolous lawsuits and not enough laws restricting these lawsuits.
The recent report by the American Association for Justice, Do As I Say, Not As I Sue: Exposing the Lawsuit-Happy Hypocrites of the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform, exposes several ILR members as hypocrites. While they work behind the scenes to prevent laypersons from suing them, they do not shy away from suing others. For example, Caterpillar sued Disney for portraying bulldozers and their operators as “villainous” in George of the Jungle 2. FedEx sued a California man for building furniture out of FedEx boxes for use in his own home. Johnson & Johnson sued the American Red Cross, a charitable organization, for using the symbolic red cross on a white background, despite the fact that the red cross has been the symbol of the American Red Cross since its founding in 1881.
Click here to read the full report: Do As I Say, Not As I Sue: Exposing the Lawsuit-Happy Hypocrites of U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform
Source: American Association for Justice – http://www.justice.org/cps/rde/xbcr/justice/Do_As_I_Say_Not_As_I_Sue_2011.pdf
About Scott D. Fitzgerald: Scott Fitzgerald is the great grandson of the Firm’s founder, George E. Allen, Sr., and is the fourth generation of the Allen family to join the Allen Law Firm. He currently works in the Richmond, Virginia office and is focusing his practice exclusively on personal injury cases including car accident cases and motorcycle accident cases. Scott is dedicated to protecting the best interests of his clients and defending their rights against insurance companies.
