Our last blog post touched upon the Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) and its desire to limit injured plaintiffs’ access to fair and just compensation. In its push for tort reform, the ILR wants to reduce discovery and place statutory caps on non-economic damage awards. The importance of non-economic damages is to punish a civil defendant, as without these types of damages, many corporations might just pay small settlements and not change their policies or actions that harmed the person in the first place. Non-economic damages are negative incentives to remedy tortious actions. The result of capping non-economic damages would be that victims physically injured by corporations would have limited access to justice and a lesser chance of a fair recovery.
The ILR is part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is an entity funded by large corporations and whose stated mission is to promote the business interests of its members. In years past, Wal-Mart, Home Depot and the American Council of Life Insurers contributed $1 million each to advance the ILR’s agenda. The Huffington Post reported that in 2001, the ILR pumped over $5 million into state election races, targeting judges in states who “rendered verdicts against one or more of the companies contributing to the effort.” When that amount of money is pumped into local elections, it greatly impacts the outcomes.
Another ILR tactic is to publish and distribute literature that presents a distorted picture of plaintiffs and their lawsuits against large corporations. The truth behind the ILR and its tort reform agenda is that it wants to shield corporations from liability and weaken the civil jury system. This allows corporations to turn a blind eye when products or actions injure customers.
Large corporations sometimes put profit over consumer and employee safety. If you or a loved one suffers injuries from a company’s negligence, speak with one of our personal injury attorneys about your case.
Harrell & Nowak, L.L.C. – New Orleans accident lawyers