Contributions to Democrats blocks needed litigation reform
posted: October 23, 2003
by Nick Pascale
Opinions editor
A recently announced lawsuit is bringing video game companies who develop games with violent graphic sequences into a state court on the grounds that their games caused a sniper to kill a woman.
Whether or not this litigation can hold water will be up to the courts to decide, but the potential award amount will undoubtedly reflect other awards given by state courts, awards that reach astronomical amounts, in most cases leading companies into bankruptcy.
A bill aimed at keeping trial lawyers from gaining such lucrative sums failed to pass a vote on the Senate floor. The bill would have taken most lawsuits, particularly class action suits, out of the state courts and have them tried in federal court.
The objective of the bill is to better enable the courts throw out frivolous suits and limit the award money that lines the pockets of trial lawyers instead of the pockets of the victims.
But since the Democratic Party shares the wealth of the trial lawyers (a majority of big time trial lawyers contribute to the Democratic Party) the bill failed to pass.
Given the runaway litigation after tobacco settlements, gun manufactures, and now software companies, the country cannot simply sit back and watch trial lawyers continue to undermine the civil courts and add further stress to the American economy.
The Democrats have tried to cover up their trial lawyer campaign financing by claiming they want reform, but not the way the bill prescribed. But how can we deny that moving litigation from the state to federal level?
Do the Democratic senators not see the fight trial lawyers put forth to move suits to plaintiff-friendly jurisdictions, such as Mississippi.
Beyond the victims, outlandish rewards and pool of money-hungry lawyers will create an environment where businesses will be reluctant to develop.
Why would foreign investors finance projects in America if there were widespread fear of litigation resulting in bankruptcy?
Why would domestic companies further invest in the economy while paying for in-house attorneys? The answer is they won’t. America needs this legislation to pass so that accountability and the interests of the victim can be restored to the civil courts.
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