Each year, the US Chamber of Commerce, hiding behind a website entitled "FacesofLawsuitAbuse.org", runs a phony baloney contest called the "Most Ridiculous Lawsuit of (whatever year was the last one; at present it is) 2011". In this "contest", the Chamber claims that the result comes from a citizen poll and it names a particular lawsuit as its "Most Ridiculous". This year's winner is a lawsuit filed by a kidnapper against his victims, apparently, because they refused to keep a promise to hide him from authorities or some such nonsense.
From any source that features humorous content, this case and, indeed, this yearly contest, might be funny and fun, but the Chamber and this website are not in the business of "funny" or "fun". They are in the business of trampling on our constitutional, 7th Amendment, rights to civil jury trials, the business of using the concept of "frivolous lawsuits" to restrict court access for serious cases, serious injuries, serious consequences, caused by serious corporate misconduct. They are in the business of minimizing consequences for serious misconduct. Hell, if they had their way, a citizen could never sue a corporation!
Because the U.S. Chamber is a corporate lobbying organization, anything that benefits "corporate or business interests" takes precedent over the rights of any individual citizen. "Truth" is irrelevant; "fairness" is irrelevant, "justice" is irrelevant. "Who is right?" and "who is wrong?" does not matter. Nor does "who is the perpetrator?" and "who is the victim?". How serious the consequences to a particular victim or to all of our citizens doesn't matter either. All that matters to the Chamber is that corporate America, big business, gets a free pass to pollute, injure, cheat, lie and steal from our citizens. Bail out a bank? Get foreclosed upon. Make a bad product that seriously hurts people? Restrict recoveries and ridicule the system and victims. Pollute the environment and make everyone sick? Again, restrict court access and attack the victims. Manufacture bad drugs? Seek immunity from the government; pollute the jury pool with false information. Does anyone find any of this "funny"?
So, go ahead and read the case; the concept of a kidnapper suing his victims is quite funny. But read it with the knowledge of the serious purpose for putting the case and the contest out in cyberspace and other media forums. That purpose is to brainwash citizens, potential jurors in serious cases with serious consequences, into believing that the civil justice system is, somehow, unfair to corporate interests. That citizens pursuing litigation and collecting appropriate jury awards for harms caused by corporate wrongdoing should be a restricted activity. That the civil justice system, the greatest of its kind in the world, is broken. That is the purpose of these campaigns. And these corporate interests think that they can persuade you that they are right. And folks, that simply isn't "funny".
Mark M. Bello is the owner and founder of Lawsuit Financial Corporation where he is instrumental in providing cash flow solutions and consulting when necessity of life lawsuit funding is needed during litigation. Mr. Bello has thirty-four years experience as a trial lawyer and 13 years as an underwriter and situational analyst in the litigation funding industry. He is recognized as an expert in this field by ExpertPages.com and ALM Experts. Mr. Bello is a sustaining and Justice PAC member of the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association, Justice Pac member of the American Association for Justice, Member of the American and Michigan Bar Associations, Member of Public Justice and Public Citizen, Member of InjuryBoard, out-of-state member of the Mississippi Association for Justice and a business associate of the Florida Justice Association, Texas Trial Lawyers Association and the Consumer Attorneys of California. His articles have appeared in FindLaw, The West Reporter, The Safety Report, Plaintiff Magazine, Advocate Magazine, and other fine legal publications.
