Personal Injury Law

New AAJ Report?U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Civil Justice Hypocrites

By Steven M. Levin and John J. Perconti

The American Association of Justice issued a new report today that highlights a clear example of hypocrisy by a major interest group involved in the U.S. Justice System.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has spent millions of dollars and focused immense resources on lobbying campaigns aimed at limiting regular consumers? access to the courthouse. The group?s affiliate, the Institute for Legal Reform, works every day to add barriers and restrictions to the right of individuals harmed by corporations to file lawsuits against those corporations.

Groups like the U.S. Chamber have worked hard to bar the courtroom door. But a new AAJ report explains that the U.S. Chamber itself files hundreds of lawsuits each year to advance its own interests. Apparently the justice system is only fair to the Chamber when they are doing the suing.

The Chamber?s President and CEO explained this week that litigation was, ?one of our most powerful tools for making sure that the federal agencies follow the law and are held accountable.?

The National Chamber Litigation Center, the part of the organization charged with filing lawsuits on behalf of the group, annually initiates over 130 suits. Nearly 2 times a week, the group is at it again using the court system to advance it goals?while at the same time claiming that regular individuals shouldn?t have fair access to that same court system.

Our Chicago medical malpractice attorneys at Levin & Perconti continually work for the opposite cause: to allow all victims the same balanced access to the nation?s justice system. We do not believe that there is anything wrong with allowing our truth-finding judicial process to play out. There is nothing to fear from allowing potential medical victims, no matter where they come from or how much money they have, to enjoy their day in court. In that way, the system truly creates a level playing field where single individuals can stand up to anyone and seek justice.

As the AAJ President explains, ?The Chamber has every right to seek what it believes to be justice in a court of law, even if representing the most deplorable corporate interests. But it must learn that this right to justice belongs not just to their organization or big business generally, but to all Americans.?

To read more about this shameful example of unequal access to American Justice, check out the full AAJ report Here.

Full post as published by Illinois Medical Malpractice Blog on October 27, 2010 (boomark / email).