Lawsuit abuse – fact or fiction.? The U.S. Chamber of Commerce would have you believe that lawsuit abuse is a fact and that is costing everyone thousands of dollars per year.? The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is running a TV ad alleging that “lawsuit abuse” is costing “your family” $3,500 a year.? The ad is false.?The figure is from a study that estimates the cost of all lawsuits, not just abusive ones.Even the author of the study cited by the chamber says its ad is “misleading.” The fact is his study makes no attempt to specify which lawsuits are legitimate and which can be considered abusive. Furthermore, the study specifically warns against drawing any conclusions about the costs and benefits of the judicial system and even acknowledges that the benefits could outweigh the costs. The chamber ignores this warning. It also fails to note that the same study estimates the cost of all lawsuits at the lowest level in 10 years.
Thr truth is that lawsuit abuse is not costing us thousands of dollars every year.? Furthermore, the benefits and savings received from legitimate lawsuits outweigh the costs.? For example, the tort system encourages drivers to be more careful when driving.? If a driver is negligent and causes a car accident which injures someone; it is the negligent driver that pays the injured person for his lost wages, medical bills and pain and suffering rather than the injured person turning to a government funded program (paid by U.S. tax dollars) for compensation.? Do not let this misleading ad deceive you into thinking that there is widespread lawsuit abuse and that it is costing America.? Get the real facts.
