An effective legal system is critical to advancing free enterprise. Unfortunately, many lawsuits in this country lack merit or are downright abusive. Making matters worse, the lawyers who bring these types of suits tend to be the real beneficiaries—not their clients. To be sure, economic data show that the U.S. tort system in 2016 alone cost $3,329 per U.S. household, and only 57 cents on the dollar went to compensate the actual victim.
The mission of the Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) is to reduce excessive and frivolous litigation while restoring fairness and balance to the nation's civil justice system by promoting civil justice reform through legislative, political, judicial and educational activities at both the national and local levels.
The Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) is the most influential legal reform organization in the country. ILR effectively executes unmatched advocacy initiatives that reach into state, federal, and international arenas and cover a wide breadth of issues, including the following:
Hungry? Consumers are suing the maker of Kind snack bars for not containing enough fresh fruit. Their lawyers claim Kind bars “misled” consumers by dehydrating their fruit and putting “chemical-sounding terms like ascorbic acid” in their bars. And now they want a payout. Wait.
Take a big gulp because another example of lawsuit abuse is bubbling to the surface. A woman is suing Canada Dry Ginger Ale for not containing ginger. But Canada Dry lists the ingredients on every can. The woman claims the company’s ads made her believe that Canada Dry was a healthier option over other soda.
Trial lawyers are cooking up an extra cheesy lawsuit in Florida. Two South Floridians don’t want cheese on their Quarter Pounders, and they think they should pay less for their Quarter Pounder orders when they visit McDonald’s restaurants.
The U.S. tort system racked up $429 billion in total costs and compensation associated with lawsuits in 2016.
Hear from issue experts on What’s Trending including data privacy liability, the growth of collective redress in the EU, locality litigation, and trial lawyer advertising.
Something smells rotten in New York…and it’s another ridiculous lawsuit. A man is suing Starkist Tuna over the American Heart Association’s Heart Checkmark logo the company displays on its cans. The lawsuit claims the logo misleads customers into thinking Starkist Tuna is healthier than other brands.
It’s the case that’s been called “the poster child for everything that’s wrong with America’s lawsuit system” and a case that legal experts agree should have been thrown out of court.
In 2000, Ramiro Arvizu and Jaime del Campo opened La Casita Mexicana, in Bell, California. They wanted to provide a taste of Mexican culture to residents of the predominantly Latino city located just outside of Los Angeles. Running a small business is difficult and, unfortunately, lawsuit abuse is one challenge faced by far too many small business owners.
ILR will convene a panel of experts to discuss the practical implications of Supreme Court decided Bristol-Myers Squibb v. Superior Court and what it did (and did not do) to bring predictability to litigants defending suits across the country.
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