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  The Society for Consumer Advocates and Mavens

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FRIVILOUS LAWSUITS

These may do more to intimidate and silence the opposition instead of seek to get a court hearing and subsequent judgment. The U.S. justice system openly invites this kind of legal extortion!

Big spending, "deep pocket" corporations sue people into submission, not necessarily because they feel they are always legally or morally "right", but possibly because they have more time and money to get what they want. The only potential remedy against frivilous lawsuits is if the loser has to pay all attorney and court costs for BOTH parties in the dispute. This remedy is not perfect but other countries do this.... but not in America! In the U.S. money talks and wins!

Under the present U.S. system of justice, even if you win your case in court you may go broke paying attorney fees. Regardless, all legal costs incurred by big companies are just passed on to the consumer anyway, adding unnecessary costs to most all of the goods and services you buy.

For example, frivilous lawsuits increase the cost of each new car you buy by about $500 per car. Pacemakers for heart patients cost $300 more per patient. Football helmets cost $100 more per helmet. Even haircuts may cost you more due to lawsuits against hairdressers for "bad haircuts". Of course, people are entitled to compensation if they have been wronged but much too much of the money may be going to pay-off high attorney legal fees.

Just the threat of a possible lawsuit hinders advances in technology and medicine! No company likes to take chances on new products or medications if they have to worry about potentially bankrupting lawsuits. Products for sale are sometimes even taken off the shelves out of fear of potential frivilous lawsuits.

Many if not most Girl Scout camps have eliminated horseback riding due to potential lawsuits. Parents have sued little league coaches over a "pop fly" in a baseball game that accidentally hit their precious child in the face because he could not put his glove on the ball. Someone who cooks food for a charity or gives food away to the homeless can get sued for possibly giving upset stomachs to those being fed!

The field is fertile for raping the U.S. legal system. Some folks can even make a good living frivilously suing others. Remember, the attorneys for BOTH sides always win while the citizenry ends up paying for all the costs incurred.

Outside the USA, the U.S. legal system is the "laughing stock"! Oftentimes, it even discourages people from doing business in the U.S. at all. Attorneys run the system and attorneys are even elected to run half of the government. Typically, most elected Democrats tend to have been attorneys before they ever decided to run for political office. This may be one reason why it has spun out of control and stays out of control.

The U.S. courts of law may be more about "who gets what" with the end result being less about true justice! Ask anyone ever sued in a frivilous lawsuit. Truth may just be a by-product of the process. The U.S. justice system may end up more or less about legal combat, distortion and trickery all to "shade" the available facts to be more favorable to YOUR side of the cause or case, instead of seeking absolute truth. Truth may become more or less of secondary importance compared to doing WHATEVER it takes to win which, of course, seems to be too often of primary importance in America.

SUPPLEMENTAL SOURCE: ABC-TV 20/20 1/2/96

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