Frivolous Lawsuits
Justice, Tranquility and The Greed for Money
Lynn Hubbard is handicapped. She happens to also have her own law firm. In the past year, she sued more than 600 nearly irreproachable institutions for over two million dollars. Hubbard and her entourage of scheming lawyers have not done anything illegal. Some may argue that she has simply exercised her right to the legal system. In any case, Hubbard is part of the growing American society that has discovered large money in mass litigation. This rise in greedy and manipulative lawyers has provided Americans with a skewed financial interest in the American courtroom and has hindered the justice system as a whole. Congress must reexamine tort reform to provide Americans with a trustworthy and secure justice system from frivolous lawsuits.
As American citizens we do it everyday: we see something wrong and form ideas of suing. Whether our intentions are resolute or passive, the simple gesture itself poses a series of questions for why Americans find the courtrooms a haven to the solutions for their troubles. Although our forefathers didn't plan on suits like suing McDonalds for serving hot coffee or causing obesity in children in America, they did create a judicial system that was easily accessible and fair. If examining the root of the problem, we must look back over 200 years ago, when our forefathers envisioned a country with justice and equality, without the idea of abusing the legal system with the intention of financial betterment in mind. In fact, over the past 50 years, America has resorted to the legal system with that exact intention. A major gateway to this broad social change occurred when congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This era, known as the "due process revolution," was when lawyers won criminal defendants the right to a lawyer and a hearing (Jost). The aged and disabled began fighting for their rights, and eventually employees in the workplace caught on to the courtroom trend
Lynn Hubbard is handicapped. She happens to also have her own law firm. In the past year, she sued more than 600 nearly irreproachable institutions for over two million dollars. Hubbard and her entourage of scheming lawyers have not done anything illegal. Some may argue that she has simply exercised her right to the legal system. In any case, Hubbard is part of the growing American society that has discovered large money in mass litigation. This rise in greedy and manipulative lawyers has provided Americans with a skewed financial interest in the American courtroom and has hindered the justice system as a whole. Congress must reexamine tort reform to provide Americans with a trustworthy and secure justice system from frivolous lawsuits.
As American citizens we do it everyday: we see something wrong and form ideas of suing. Whether our intentions are resolute or passive, the simple gesture itself poses a series of questions for why Americans find the courtrooms a haven to the solutions for their troubles. Although our forefathers didn't plan on suits like suing McDonalds for serving hot coffee or causing obesity in children in America, they did create a judicial system that was easily accessible and fair. If examining the root of the problem, we must look back over 200 years ago, when our forefathers envisioned a country with justice and equality, without the idea of abusing the legal system with the intention of financial betterment in mind. In fact, over the past 50 years, America has resorted to the legal system with that exact intention. A major gateway to this broad social change occurred when congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This era, known as the "due process revolution," was when lawyers won criminal defendants the right to a lawyer and a hearing (Jost). The aged and disabled began fighting for their rights, and eventually employees in the workplace caught on to the courtroom trend
Cited: "Defending and expanding Tort Laws: The Civil Justice System." Foundation for Taxpayers & Consumer Rights. March, 2003. Consumerwatchdog.com was one of the very first sources I looked in to explore my topic Forbes, Steve. "Oh say, can they see!" Academic Search Premier. December 12, 1996. Forbes Jost, Kenneth. "Too Many Lawsuits?" May 22, 1992. CQ Researcher. March 3, 2003. Although this article was published in 1992, it provided me with an abundance of facts for the history of litigation and how it exploded into such a large industry Lerach, Bill. "Prop. 211 Initiative Won 't Spur Lawsuits." Academic Search Premier. October 21, 1996 Shapiro, Joseph P. "Defining who 's disabled." Academic Search Premier. May 3, 1999. U.S