|
|
|
 The United States
Government Accounting Office, an agency of the United States Congress, found that “general damage awards
were not erratic or excessive” and that “the size of compensatory awards is strongly associated with injury
severity and the amount of the underlying economic loss.”
Product Liability -- Verdicts and Case Resolution in Five States , Report GAO/HRD-89-99, September 1989.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics
of the U.S. Department of Justice found that between 1992 and 2001, there was a 47% decline in the
number of civil trials and that the median jury award had declined from $65,000 to $37,000.
The Bureau also found that only 6% of plaintiffs received an award of punitive damages, and that the
median punitive damage award was $50,000.
Civil Trial Cases and Verdicts in Large Counties, 2001, Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin, April 2004.
TheCommonweal Institute
found that “tort reform” is really “designed to limit corporate liability, prevent civil lawsuits against
corporations, and restrict citizens’ ability to pursue recourse in the courts.”
The Attack on Trial Lawyers and
Tort Law , a Commonweal Institute Report, October 1, 2003.
The Center for Justice and Democracy
found that both jury verdicts and lawsuit filings have declined, refuting the contention that there is a
litigation “crisis,” and found further that the insurance industry has been enjoying record profits.
Where's the Crisis With an Out-of-Control Insurance Industry, That's Where, Mythbuster Report.
The Center for Justice and Democracy
also found that a March 2004 survey released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was unfairly skewed to support
its promotion of “tort reform.”
Devil in the Details -- Facts About the U.S. Chamber Ranking of State Liability Systems, Mythbuster Report.
|
|
|
