This is in response to the "Business Spotlight" on June 27: "Newport
law firm holding court."
The story shows and tells about two well-dressed trial lawyers
smiling about their new offices that resemble a basketball court --
and gloating over their hefty paychecks.
Let's state from the start that there are some legitimate
personal-injury cases, in which the plaintiffs deserve to be
well-compensated and the lawyers deserve reasonable fees.
However, the glare of the "spotlight" does not mention the other,
negative side of uncontrolled and frivolous litigation.
Unfortunately, where we live -- Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Orange
County and California -- is among the most litigious locales in the
nation.
You may have recently read about Ralph Nader's ongoing plans for
an American Museum of Tort Law in his home state of Connecticut. If
this becomes reality, he owes it to the American people to show the
ugly side of tort law, the one that is abused and manipulated by
those lawyers who have done much less than a "socially redeeming"
job.
Whether Nader would be willing to devote the time and resources to
such an enormous undertaking as this -- the repulsive side of civil
justice -- is doubtful.
Here are a few humble suggestions on how the American Museum of
Tort Law should showcase the reckless abuse, gamesmanship and
degradation of our legal system by some of these social redeemers:
First, how about a Frivolous Lawsuit Room. Wallpapered in dollar
bills representing taxpayers' money wasted on lawsuit abuse each
year, this room will be dedicated to every lawyer and litigant who
has laughed all the way to the bank. The main exhibit, encased in
plastic, would be the veritable holy grail of civil justice, the
McDonald's cup that held the coffee Stella Liebeck spilled on herself
as she left the drive-through. She sued the company and won an
initial award of $2.7 million.
On another pedestal, let's place the jar of chunky peanut butter a
prison inmate sued California over because he wanted the smooth
variety instead.
And, among many, many others, we should be sure to include the
six-pack of beer a woman sued her supermarket over because she
dropped it on her foot, winning more than $400,000.
The highlight of the Frivolous Lawsuit Room, though, will be a
huge digital counter that continuously tells visitors how much the
legal system has cost them so far that year. As a baseline, the
American Tort Reform Assn. estimates this cost to be $1,200 per
person, per year, for a total annual cost of $152 billion.
