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And we quote (with permission, of course, from Editor Extrordinaire Trevor Jones):
Now that the tobacco companies have crumbled in the face of determined class actions, it is time to look again at the “David and Goliath” propensities of American law. Tort reform is not such a buzz-word as it was a decade ago. The power that the class action can produce is demonstrated by the growth of such actions.
The number of employment discrimination cases brought to America’s federal courts has doubled in the past three years – to 23,000 in 1996. The number of attorneys specializing in the field has tripled since 1990. There is now even a form of insurance that covers companies against employment related suits.
And what do they pay for?
Consider the case of the driver who lost most of his vision in one eye; when his company reassigned him to other work, he won a lawsuit on the grounds that requiring better vision was unlawful discrimination against the disabled. Or the case for wrongful dismissal won by the vegetarian bus driver who refused to distribute handbills advertising a hamburger restaurant. Or the librarian who cannot be fired even though she screams at patrons.
We used to run a competition for the most ridiculous claims, but could not find enough. It seems we were looking in the wrong place.
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