The current war against the American consumer by Big Business and the Bush Administration has gotten a bit nastier. Apparently, this team of powerful executives and government officials have circumvented an unfavorable Congress and are now using agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration to create rules that make it virtually impossible to sue a business for a defective or dangerous product. With these rules in place, large corporations can continue to sell toxic dog food, toothpaste, lead paint toys, contaminated heparin and dangerous drugs such as Vioxx and Trasylol, while making millions at the expense of injured consumers.
To divert attention from their wrongdoing and avoid legal responsibility, these companies and sympathetic government officials have demonized trial lawyers and families who file suit to recover the costs of medical bills and lost wages. If these people could spend one day in my shoes as a trial lawyer, they would be forced to face the fact that real lives are ruined by their greedy desire to make a buck. These CEO’s have never sat across the room from an inconsolable family, (the way I do on a daily basis), trying to cope with the loss of their loved one who died after using drug that the manufacturer knew was dangerous, but released it anyway. They have never met one-on-one with a hardworking father who is now unable to provide for his children after using a defective product on the job that took his limb.
Despite these hardships faced by unsuspecting consumers, billion dollar corporations and governmental agencies are trying very hard to paint themselves as the victims of meritless lawsuits. Meanwhile, the real victims—namely American consumers—are losing their homes, steady paychecks and quality of life because of someone else’s negligence.
Bearing the responsibility for negligence is just a fact of life. If a drunk driver negligently gets behind the wheel of car and hurts someone, that person is entitled to sue for his or her medical bills, etc. If someone slips on my sidewalk because I negligently decide not to shovel my snow, that person has every right to sue my homeowners insurance for his or her injuries. Why, then, should a large corporation be held to a different standard for releasing a dangerous or defective product on the market?
The bottom line is that these companies should be held responsible for their actions. Whether it’s a fine for releasing harmful chemicals into the environment or paying medical bills and lost wages of consumers that were injured by their products, corporations should be held to the same standard as everyone else in this country. If Big Business and the Bush Administration truly want to “curb lawsuits,” then I suggest they step it up a notch and produce better and safer products that are tested and tried before their release to the American public. Safe and happy consumers have no reason to file a lawsuit. It’s really just that simple.
Free Legal Advice: Defective Products
