If the presidential candidates are serious about bolstering the economy,
they should address one of the major drags on it--widespread abuse of the
tort system.

Foes of lawsuit abuse have been writing gleefully about the fall of Dickie Scruggs, Bill Lerach and Melvyn Weiss. All three lawyers are likely to spend time in jail for plotting to bribe a judge (Scruggs) or paying kickbacks (Lerach and Weiss).

For years the United States has suffered from a wave of unnecessary and frivolous litigation, estimated to cost $250 billion or more every year. But the sad case of Marshall v. Marshall is a particular embarrassment for California, which acknowledged Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week earlier this month. The continuing litigation between Anna Nicole Smith’s estate and the estate of her former husband demonstrates that legal abuse comes in many forms.

This is a compelling example of how big an impact one lawsuit can have in our community. A popular community facility is forced to close because of one dissatisfied customer.

This week is one of celebration in the legal community. The King of Torts has been dethroned.

William Lerach, who paved the way for the troubled class action system that exists today, has agreed to a plea deal that is expected to involve prison time. While painting himself as a crusader for the consumer, he has been exposed as anything but, charged with engaging in a kick-back scheme whereby he and other lawyers at his firm paid plaintiffs to initiate class action claims against businesses, earning themselves millions of dollars in legal fees in the process.

It’s back-to-school time again and this year, Central California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse is hitting the books to study up on the most ridiculous school-related lawsuits.

Every year, American workers take the first Monday of September to celebrate the economic fruits of their labor. This year, Central California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse calls attention to some of the numerous lawsuits employees file against their employers. While many of these suits may have merit, we’d like to take the opportunity to highlight some that we labor to understand:

In response to the long overdue budget passed by California’s legislature on Tuesday, California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) Chairman John Merchant released the following statement:

“We are relieved to finally have a budget in place for the state of California. More importantly, we are grateful that personal injury attorneys were ultimately prevented from further lining their pockets by seeking larger compensatory damages in lawsuits involving Medi-Cal.

In a report issued by California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse entitled The Fiscal Impact of Lawsuit Abuse on California’s Largest Counties and Cities, Sacramento taxpayers were shown to have spent nearly $20 million on lawsuit settlements and awards in addition to paying for outside counsel. This has been a bonanza for personal injury lawyers and professional plaintiffs who seem to view taxpayers as their next target for extortion. The obvious result is fewer dollars available for critical services such as first responders, law enforcement, parks and libraries. 

Central California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse released the following statement today in response to the verdict in favor of the Chungs, the drycleaners sued for $54 million over a pair of lost pants:

Central California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CCCALA) is celebrating Juror Appreciation Week (JAW) May 14-18, by drawing attention to the civic duty we all have as Americans to respond to jury summons. 

Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse executive director [your name] released the following statement today in response to a Harris Interactive/Institute for Legal Reform’s ranking of states’ legal climates:

Earlier this year, an Associated Press investigation found that the Department of Justice, under then-Attorney General (AG) Bill Lockyer, inappropriately labeled hundreds of contracts as “confidential,” protecting them from public scrutiny. The $1 million no-bid contract for employee parking was eye-raising to be sure, but even more troubling were a $500,000 contract with lobbyists who the AP reported are “friends” of Lockyer and a $2 million contract with a law firm whose partners were donors to Lockyer’s campaigns.

Central California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CCCALA) is marking April Fools’ Day by highlighting some of the “tom-foolery” that’s been conducted in our courtrooms. They may sound like an April Fools’ joke, but unfortunately, these cases are all too real.

The recent explosion of news coverage that the California Attorney General’s office, under Bill Lockyer, inappropriately hid millions of dollars in contracts should serve as a wake-up call to Californians. It is time to create some oversight and disclosure laws for the Attorney General’s office and the non-government parties it retains.