Frivolous Lawsuits "Picking On" Big Business
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A California group, Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA), thinks that corporate America needs protection from lawsuits. They fear that Big Business can not continue to reap profits producing products they know are dangerous and so, they intend to continue a campaign to "inform" the public. According to Ralph Shaffer, Cal Poly Pomona Emeritus of History, they intend to continue their campaign of half truths; only giving the public the information that will leave the impression they want to leave with an unsuspecting public:
Ignoring the multitude of health experts who have warned us against dangerous trans fats, CALA echoed KFC's frivolous claim about the safety of all KFC products. How do we know they're safe? Surely an agency controlled by the Bush Administration would intervene if consumers were in danger. Yeah, right.Lurking in the background was the possibility of a consumer class action suit against KFC.
CALA and big business would like class actions to go away. They know they can beat into submission a single plaintiff. No private citizen can afford top-flight lawyers well-versed in product liability, with resources to track down evidence, engage in lengthy discovery and in the end win justice for the plaintiff. But big corporations can.
Imagine that a corporation produces a product in a way that is really only done to maximize profits; even though the corporation knows it is dangerous to produce the product the way they do. Imagine that, in the face of illness or injury, the corporation's "bean counters" demonstrate that, for a while, the corporation can risk the cost of lawsuits in favor of maximized profit.
Professor Shaffer says what Kentucky Fried Chicken, and the rest of the informed world, has known that dangerous trans fats could make you sick; maybe ultimately kill you. KFC, though, continued to cook with trans fatty acids; presumably because it made the food more attractive and, thus, maximized their bottom line. CALA came out with a press release that claimed:
A consumer group filed a lawsuit against Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) seeking to end the restaurant chain's use of partially hydrogenated oil in fried chicken and other dishes, even though all KFC products are safe to eat and meet or exceed all government regulations. That italicized clause was lifted verbatim from KFC's response to the suit.
As Professor Shaffer points out, CALA's press release is only a part of the truth; the part they wanted potential jurors to hear. The fact is, the lawsuit was filed by a highly respected organization, the Center for Science in the Public Interest and only filed after KFC refused to stop harming the public.
CALA and Big Business want product liability lawsuits outlawed; they want immunity for the Goliaths of business;and they want to maximize profit potential.
Imagine no lawsuits; imagine no trial attorneys to wage battle against Big Business; no right to access to courts in order to seek compensation against injuries and deaths. Imagine we are on our way to this very situation and citizens will be subject to "protection" by only Big Business' compassion. Certainly if groups such as CALA have their way, Big Business will thrive while "Rome" burns.