Yet again, another study indicates that the whole 'medical malpractice crisis' is an overblown attempt by the insurance industry to support a crumbling argument for tort reform. Frequently we are told that physicians are fleeing the practice of medicine because trial lawyers have caused malpractice insurance premiums to skyrocket. Massachusetts has been described by the AMA as such crisis state, with settlement payments for victims of physician negligence the fourth highest in the United States.... Yet, surprise, "[m]ost physicians paid lower inflation-adjusted premiums in 2005 than in 1990." The reality, as always, is that the insurance companies pump up the malpractice crisis in order to pump up their own profits.
Study by Health Affairs here.

It doesn't happen often, so when it does, time to draw attention. A recent article on CNNMoney.com champions the much hated trial lawyer. Salient points include: Attorneys represent the last resort of employees wrongfully terminated or abused in the work place; Attorneys represent individuals against the greed of corporations willing to put out shoddy tires, tainted pet food and toothpaste and defective difibrillators. The only thing that keeps the corporate world turning is the knowledge that, if the corporate world tries to screw the individual, trial lawyers will be there to hold them accountable. "Simply put, what makes transactions possible is the knowledge that if trust is abused, the abuser will pay a penalty." Long live the trial lawyer, long live corporate accountability.

According to Utah State Court Statistics personal injury lawsuits only make up 1% of the total cases filed in 2006 Read More...