Consumer Law

Where Corporate Money Failed - Kilbride, Braley and 1082

By Joe Consumer

Add us to the list of blogs doing election round ups today, but let?s say ours is a bit more exclusive.  In addition to the big picture races, the impact of which on civil justice issues and the legal rights of victims is kinda up in the air (e.g., new ?Speaker? John Boehner vs. newly-elected Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid), there are three races that we?d like to note for voters? repudiation of corporate attacks on the legal rights of injured people.

First is the retention of Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Kilbride (see our earlier coverage here).  This judge?s only sin was siding with the court?s majority in striking down an unconstitutional ?cap? on compensation for medical malpractice victims.  But you wouldn?t know that from the sleazy, inaccurate ?anti-crime? ads run against him.  These were not funded by law enforcement organizations but by state and national corporate-backed "tort reform" groups.

The Chicago Tribune reported: 

Kilbride was portrayed as soft on crime in visceral radio ads that featured actors portraying rapists and murderers. The campaign prompted a backlash from other judges, lawyers and legal scholars who pointed out Kilbride's opinions were based on legal procedures and points of law.

While the campaign focused on what Kilbride calls ?gross distortions? of his record, the acknowledged aim of the Illinois Civil Justice League was to dump a judge they see as unwilling to stop large jury awards given to plaintiffs in malpractice and other negligence lawsuits.

League President Ed Murnane conceded tonight that the organization would not stop Kilbride. But he said they will continue to try and unseat judges they view as opposed to jury award limits.

Pretty disgusting.

Congressman Bruce Braley (D-IA) seems to have eked-out a victory, fighting off a huge onslaught of corporate money to win reelection in Iowa (although his opponent still won?t concede). 

Braley is one of Congress? strongest civil justice supporters, even to the point where he was viciously attacked by right-wing members of Congress for standing up for patients? rights during the health care debate.  The secret corporate money dumped in the campaign against him and the barbarous, inaccurate ads they funded even led the New York Times to editorialize against those efforts.  

Finally, Washington voters said no to I-1082, which (as we recently wrote), was an insurance industry sponsored measure that would have ?allowed private insurers into the remarkably efficient Washington State workers compensation non-profit public system, and then ruin it with greater costs for employers, smaller benefits for injured workers, and increased burdens on the state."

Now, onto dealing with the crummy stuff ? 

Full post as published by ThePopTort on November 03, 2010 (boomark / email).