Posted On: May 27, 2005, 1:28 pm CDT

Posted By: Antibathos

Forget for a moment the emotive elements of Big Bad Corporations vs. Sleazoid Lawyers. The fact is, it costs a total of $2.50 to $3.00 to get $1.00 to an injured claimant. The system/process sucks up a ridiculous share of the common funds to cover injury. And for all we are made to spend on this expensive fact-finding, the objective, substantive quality of the outcomes (think Bendectin, Breast implants, PCBs, perinatally-caused CP) is very poor. We pay a lot and we get a slowly generated often stupid verdicts.
Caps on damages is a bandaid, akin to a useless law saying "thou shalt not have a verdict that looks silly". Reform has to be at the beginning ang through the entire process with unwaivable cash consequences for delay, obfuscation, failure to admit the obvious, gamesmanship and the failure to get to the point.
Because the plaintiffs' bar can bring BS claims with little consequence and because the insurance companies can deploy expensive delaying tactics without penalty we (the public) get an inflated bill for our civil law safety net.