Unfortunately, it is only through disaster or tragedy when people begin to understand why a strong civil justice system is so necessary. Whether it is runaway Toyota cars, collapsing mines, the BP oil rig blowout, or the worst financial crisis in a generation, all of these underscore why a legal...

BP's epic mess has left thousands of Gulf Coast workers, families and small businesses depending on the civil justice system to ensure the company will provide fair compensation for lost lives and livelihoods.

But with multiple corporations dodging blame, millions of gallons of spilled oil, and billions of dollars...

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a group most have never heard of, happens to be one of the most powerful state lobbies in the entire country. And it's responsible for the some of the most pro-corporate, anti-consumer legislation to ever see the light of day.

On its surface, ALEC's...

Though Toyota's sudden acceleration fiasco is front-and-center today, similar scenarios have unfortunately been repeating themselves for decades. But a new report released by the American Association for Justice illustrates that if history is any judge, the litigation brought against Toyota will spur innovations in auto safety, and inevitably make the...

An old proverb advises to not let the fox guard the hen house. But on April 26, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for a case that could turn this bit of common wisdom on its head.

The case is Jackson v. Rent-a-Center, and the civil rights...

Faulty medical devices are costing taxpayers billions of dollars that should be paid by the manufacturer, but because of the complete immunity status device manufacturers enjoy from a Supreme Court decision, taxpayers are left with the bill.

One such example is Medtronic's Sprint Fidelis defibrillator lead, a...

For nearly a year, the only ideas opponents of health care reform would discuss were "tort reform" and "frivolous lawsuits." With 40 million people uninsured and skyrocketing health care costs, the GOP concluded - despite all the facts to the contrary - that trial attorneys and litigation were...

As plaintiffs' attorney Daniel Becnel Jr. said of Taishan Gypsum, "They're just thumbing their nose at the American judicial system."

Becnel was talking about Taishan, a Chinese manufacturer of drywall, being held in default for failing to respond to a class action brought by builders that used the company's...

This week is Patient Safety Awareness Week, an annual national education and awareness-building campaign that this year carries greater implications for patient safety than any in recent memory, as it falls in the midst of health reform overhaul negotiations.

As the reform debate continues, this is a week to...

A little over a year ago, the Florida Department of Health and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) first started receiving complaints about toxic drywall. The drywall, made in China, was corroding appliances, giving off a foul sulfur smell, and causing numerous respiratory problems for hundreds...

Let's say you get fired from your job for reasons you suspect are discriminatory -- maybe due to a physical disability or your age. You turn to the courts for justice, but the case gets thrown out immediately, before you're even allowed to access the company documents that could support...

Avery deGroh of McHenry, Illinois, was just three when the Medtronic lead to her implanted heart defibrillator fractured, sending nine shocks to her heart, similar to the sensation of being electrocuted nine times. When the episode occurred, Avery thought monsters were attacking her as her mother felt the shocks going...

Early Saturday morning, the Senate passed an amendment that marks the first, critical step toward protecting all Americans from being forced into arbitration rather than seeking justice through the courts.

Attached to the Defense Appropriations Bill and sponsored by Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and

As the House passed a sweeping health care overhaul this weekend, opponents of true reform pulled out all the stops. Saturday evening, the civil justice system and injured patients were brutally attacked, but ultimately, facts prevailed over the countless lies and distortions that were on display.

Throughout the entire debate,...

Those opposed to real health care reform are flailing to come up with real, alternative solutions to our current crisis. With all the talk of death panels, government takeovers, and rationing of care, now tort reform has been thrown into the mix.

Yet it will do practically nothing to lower...

In the immortal words of the 43rd President of the United States, "fool me once, shame on you. Fool me ... you can't get fooled again."

Tort reform has made fools out of a lot of people for many years. First, it is touted as the answer for doctor's skyrocketing...

On Friday, the Associated Press reported that a southern Illinois woman died after catching fire on the operating table during surgery. This woman unfortunately joined the least discussed, but most far-reaching statistic in health care: according to the Institute of Medicine, 98,000 people die annually from preventable medical errors.