Tort reformers have been turning up all over the internet recently. We took the liberty of rounding up some of the standouts. You may recognize a few friends of Project Lawsuit Abuse in there. Here are some of the newsmakers from around the country.

All too often, personal injury lawyers abuse our courts for a profit, filing abusive and wasteful lawsuits at the expense of consumers. Sometimes, they even commit outright fraud, violating laws in order to get rich.

That’s exactly what personal injury lawyers Robert Peirce and Louis Raimond did when they conspired with a radiologist to fabricate asbestos claims, having him fake diagnoses so they could clog up West Virginia’s courts with meritless lawsuits.    

Tort reformers have been turning up all over the internet recently. We took the liberty of rounding up some of the standouts. You may recognize a few friends of Project Lawsuit Abuse in there. Here are some of the newsmakers from around the country.

Frivolous lawsuits the basis for new law

As we’ve told you before, West Virginia is the only state in the nation without an automatic right of appeal. This fact means that defendants often don’t receive fair chances to tell their stories in court. It also drives away businesses and jobs. 

In 2010, West Virginia lawmakers attempted to halfheartedly address this issue by requiring the West Virginia Supreme Court to provide written explanations when it rejects an appeal.

For the second year in a row, CNBC ranked West Virginia as one of the worst states in the nation for doing business. This ranking doesn’t surprise us – after all, West Virginia also has one of the nation’s worst legal climates! In short, the state has a whole lot of lawsuits and not a lot of jobs.

A number of factors contribute to West Virginia’s horrible legal climate. For one, the state is the only in the nation without an automatic right of appeal! This fact means that defendants in court are denied their fair chance to tell their stories, and it drives away jobs and businesses.

As we’ve told you before, lawsuit abuse hits small businesses particularly hard. From abusive Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuits to outrageous slip and fall lawsuits, many small business owners live in fear of the day that an unscrupulous personal injury lawyer will come knocking at their door.

Tort reformers have been turning up all over the internet recently. We took the liberty of rounding up some of the standouts. You may recognize a few friends of Project Lawsuit Abuse in there. Here are some of the newsmakers from around the country.

California is Ground Zero for Food Lawsuits
For some time, the plaintiffs’ bar has been looking for the next cash cow and the food industry seems to be it. Last year, a story on ABC laid out how the same guys who got rich by pummeling the tobacco industry have set their sights on a new target: those who make and sell food. – Fox & Hounds Daily

There’s been a lot of news recently about questionable pay to play arrangements between Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell and politically connected plaintiffs’ lawyers. New research from Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch indicates that Caldwell has been using illegal contingency-fee contracts to hire his trial lawyer friends, who also happen to be his top campaign donors.

This type of pay to play system– where state attorneys general provide private lawyers with lucrative contracts in exchange for campaign donations – is hardly uncommon. But the good news is that a number of states have taken actions to crack down on these arrangements.

Transparency is key to good governance – donations to political candidates shouldn’t entitle anyone to shady contracts with elected officials. But that’s exactly what happened in West Virginia when Darrell McGraw was Attorney General.

When McGraw was in office, he frequently hired personal injury lawyers to conduct lawsuits on behalf of West Virginia, and a good deal of these lawyers had made hefty donations to McGraw’s campaign funds. Additionally, McGraw refused to share the details of these arrangements with the public.

Tort reformers have been turning up all over the internet recently. We took the liberty of rounding up some of the standouts. You may recognize a few friends of Project Lawsuit Abuse in there. Here are some of the newsmakers from around the country.

Have Law Degree, Will Sue Law School

Our courts are intended to make people whole. When someone has a serious injury that occurred due to someone else’s negligence, then they should receive appropriate and reasonable compensation.

Unfortunately, we hear time and time again about folks who are using our courts to play the lawsuit lottery. These people are not trying to gain justice – they’re trying to get rich.

A recent story from West Virginia exemplifies this abuse quite well. In 2009, Erica Tamburin incurred injuries in the parking lot of a Cabela’s Wholesale store when another car reportedly hit her truck. Tamburin sued, claiming injuries to her “head, neck, shoulders, back, chest, arms, legs, body chemistry and psyche,” as well as annoyance, inconvenience, pain and anguish.

Tort reformers have been turning up all over the internet recently. We took the liberty of rounding up some of the standouts. You may recognize a few friends of Project Lawsuit Abuse in there. Here are some of the newsmakers from around the country.

Do We Need to Have a Serious Discussion about Medical Malpractice?