Tort reform is a buzzword for limiting the average guy’s rights to the court room by big business and their supporters. When one time Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork settled a case against Yale University last year for injuries he sustained when he fell at the alumni club, he reached the height of hypocrisy.
Bork sought $1 million in damages, claiming the Yale Club was negligent in not providing a handrail or stairs to the stage on which he was set to deliver a speech in early June 2007. He was 79 years old at the time. His lawsuit stated the fall caused a large hematoma to form on his leg, inflicting “excruciating pain” and requiring surgery and months of medical treatment.
He is considered one of the leaders of the tort reform movement. This is a man who spent a large part of his professional life going out of his way to limit the ability of people to seek compensation for personal injuries. I guess his own rules don’t apply to him, and that’s the irony. He should have and did have the right to be compensated for what sounds like pretty serious injuries. Everyone should, for legitimate claims. Taking those rights away from people is just dead wrong. I wonder if Bork realizes that now, late in his life.