Trial Lawyers Called Out

Not surprisingly, California-based Pacific Research Institute’s latest semiannual report “Jackpot Justice: The True Cost of America’s Tort System” concludes that the American legal system is out of control with an $865 billion price tag on the U.S. economy. The report measures what it considers both direct and indirect costs of the legal system. Third party groups including the National Association of Manufacturers jumped on the trial lawyer bashing bandwagon with NAM President John Engler saying, “These are astounding figures with real world consequences for American businesses and their employees.” NAM did its own study in 2006 called “The Escalating Cost Crisis” which found that tort costs make up almost 12 percent of manufacturers’ 31.7 percent non-production costs.