Just Be Fair
There’s an old story, I just made up, about a reporter and a lawyer sitting in a noisy bar. The reporter was surprised when he asked the lawyer if he supported tort reform and the lawyer vigorously agreed. After several minutes of ensuing confusion, it was realized that the lawyer, something of a prude, thought he’s been asked about tart reform. Ba-dum-bum.
Anyway I think it’s time we reformed our legal system on a couple of key points. Number one, we should do what they do in civilized societies and that is the make the losers pay for their failures. That is, if you sue someone and the judgement goes against you, you have to pick up the tab for their expenses.
This comes to mind because a friend of mine was in a traffic accident in which a couple of yahoos had parked on the medium of a highway. When they decided it was time to get going again, they slipped into the left and middle lanes...at ten miles an hour. The police report was unequivocal in assigning blame to the incompetent mergers. But they are suing my friend for $20 million. This is why I laud Wal-Mart for their low prices on ammunition.
Another idea is to cap legal settlements. Courtrooms should not be casinos. Courtrooms are where people should go for justice. So if someone is injured in some way, they should be made whole and then given a little something for being put out. It should not be a lottery.
Also unnecessarily lengthy court procedures bog down the search for justice. Both civil and criminal cases takes years and zillions of dollars to get to trial. Justice delayed is justice denied.
Like much in what we fondly refer to as Western Civilization, the system has lost sight of its mission. All too often these days, lawyers get between the parties and what’s right, like gunslingers of the Old West. The only thing they have on their minds is to see to it that their client prevails. The very notion of what’s fair has gone right out the window.
©2010 SetonnoteS
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