- In Focus
Latest in Legal Reform
NEW FROM ILR: ILR has launched a new Faces of Lawsuit Abuse video. In 2006, a driver crossed the yellow line, drove into oncoming traffic, and hit a van belonging to a small Florida air conditioning company. The driver, whom the police determined was at fault, then threatened to sue the company. To avoid the pain and expense of a lawsuit, the company’s insurance settled the case. But, now, the driver, seeking further damage awards, is personally suing one of their employees. Watch the video. Read the release.
ILR IN THE NEWS: ILR’s Faces of Lawsuit Abuse campaign is featured in the DC Examiner, which summarizes each of ILR’s new video stories and highlights the campaign’s aim to show the public that abusive lawsuits pose a real threat to American small businesses.
ILR IN THE NEWS: The Daily Record writes about the Ellis family, the story of their abusive lawsuit, and their role in ILR’s Faces of Lawsuit Abuse campaign.
When the Faces of Lawsuit Abuse Look a Lot Like You
By Lisa Rickard
“The way you run your business—you start to second guess how you do business, because you're worried about the next lawsuit. And that's not the way to run a company.” – Howard Weiss
Reading this quote, you might think Howard is the CEO of a large corporation that has problems with mega class action lawsuits.It is true that Howard owns a company that was sued. But his business—Contemporary Watercrafters of Rockville, Maryland—is a locally-owned swimming pool maintenance and supply company that employs about twenty people.
Howard’s small business was the target of an enormous lawsuit that could have forced him to close his doors. His offense? A wild Canada goose nesting outside his store startled a passerby, causing her to fall.
- Research
New Research Released at Legal Reform Summit
At Wednesday's Legal Reform Summit, ILR released new research on federal preemption, discovery, and corporate criminal liability, and Commerce Secretary Gutierrez released a new study on the U.S. legal environment’s impact on foreign investment.The Preemption Defense in Tort Actions: Law, Strategy, and Practice
The State of Discovery Abuse in Civil Litigation (pdf)
Reforming Corporate Criminal Liability to Promote Responsible Corporate Behavior (pdf)
Department of Commerce: The U.S. Litigation Environment and Foreign Direct Investment (pdf)
- Events
Commerce Secretary Gutierrez Keynoted Legal Reform Summit
October 29, 2008
Washington, DCILR's summit featured panel discussions on a number of important issues. The Hon. Carlos M. Gutierrez, United States Secretary of Commerce, delivered the morning keynote address on the U.S. legal environment’s impact on foreign investment. Tom Donohue, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, delivered the luncheon keynote address on the future of legal reform.
- President's Corner
When the Faces of Lawsuit Abuse Look a Lot Like You
By Lisa Rickard“The way you run your business—you start to second guess how you do business, because you're worried about the next lawsuit. And that's not the way to run a company.” – Howard Weiss
Reading this quote, you might think Howard is the CEO of a large corporation that has problems with mega class action lawsuits.It is true that Howard owns a company that was sued. But his business—Contemporary Watercrafters of Rockville, Maryland—is a locally-owned swimming pool maintenance and supply company that employs about twenty people.
Howard’s small business was the target of an enormous lawsuit that could have forced him to close his doors. His offense? A wild Canada goose nesting outside his store startled a passerby, causing her to fall.
