The American Association for Justice (AAJ) Takes on Corporate America's "Lawsuit-Happy Hypocrites"
The American Association for Justice (AAJ) recently published Do As I Say, Not As I Sue, a white paper which reports on the duplicitous nature of the Institute for Legal Reform and the corporations which finance the advocacy group. The report focuses on corporate America’s big push to limit the ability of individuals to get to the courthouse steps while simultaneously making use of the courthouse to further its own agendas.
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In 1998, the Institute for Legal Reform was founded by the United States Chamber of Commerce, a largely conservative group made up mostly of lobbyists and lawyers. The AAJ report indicates ten major American corporations that currently hold seats in the Institute of Legal Reform, and outlines how each corporation has misused the litigious power at its disposal.
For example: State Farm
Board member of the Institute for Legal Reform since 2003, State Farm has a history of attacking individuals in a court of law even after their suits have been proved fallacious. The AAJ reports that the insurance company mistakenly filed a lawsuit against an S. Calderon, whom they believed caused a three-car accident in Fresno, California. The company pursued the lawsuit long after it was recognized by the California Department of Motor Vehicles that S. Calderon was not at fault, nor was she even involved in the accident. In the end, Calderon had to spend thousands of dollars in legal fees just to fight a false accusation.
Furthermore, the AAJ report submits that State Farm “has gone to extreme lengths to avoid paying claims, including forging signatures on earthquake waivers after the deadly Northridge earthquake, and altering engineering reports regarding damage after Hurricane Katrina.” Having members on the board for the Institute for Legal Reform makes it much easier for State Farm to weather these kinds of scandals.
But State Farm is just one of ten corporations listed in the AAJ’s report. The report demonstrates that US corporations and insurance companies will go out of their way to push on the public and the press the need for “tort reform” when really what is needed is “corporate reform.” Talk about frivolous lawsuits! Just read AAJ’s white paper and you will get a clear picture of what corporate America is filing lawsuits for and how they are simultaneously closing the courtroom steps to the the average Joe through their successful political lobbying efforts.
