Stop Lawsuit Abuse in Mississippi

Read about STOP Lawsuit Abuse in Mississippi in the news - and recent news about the fight against lawsuit abuse.

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STOP Supporters Speak Out

New 2008 Guide to State Legal Climates Shows Promise, Threats (June 18)
Directorship magazine partnered with the American Justice Partnership to publish a 12-page guide profiling the political, legislative and judicial dynamics that help create the current and future civil justice environments of each state. Mississippi’s legal environment is said to have improved, which is a trend noted by other studies as well, but the report also notes the importance of this year’s state Supreme Court races that will determine the future direction of Mississippi’s legal climate. Click here to see the report and its comments on Mississippi.

Scruggs pleads guilty to conspiracy in Miss. judicial bribery case (July 3)
Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, the notorious personal injury lawyer who made millions if not billions from suing employers, pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe a judge – a case that puts him in prison and brings an end to his legal career. Scruggs received the maximum five year sentence behind bars. Scruggs and co-defendant Sidney Backstrom both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States for conspiring to bribe Lafayette County Circuit Court Judge Henry Lackey for a favorable ruling in a legal-fees dispute over a Hurricane Katrina lawsuit.
--Clarion-Ledger, “Scruggs may appeal sentence; Judge says he showed 'leniency'” By Jerry Mitchell, July 3, 2008

Reform on AG contracts with private attorneys needed
A new report and opinion survey provides a look at rough terrain Mississippi has been through in terms of acts by our state attorneys general. STOP executive director Chip Reno observes that while "taxpayers have a right to know who is being hired using their tax dollars" and while "most state government vendors are hired under state procurement laws which require fully disclosed qualifications… Mississippi voters and taxpayers are left in the dark about who the attorney general is hiring and why." Reno refers to a report by Mississippians for Economic Progress, that tells of a "glaring lack of oversight, transparency and accountability for state hiring of private attorneys." He adds, "Mississippi citizens will benefit from more open government and accountability in attorney general contracts with outside lawyers."
--Clarion-Ledger, "Reform on contracts for attorneys needed," December 31, 2006

Public should know attorney general’s deals with private attorneys
A consumer wouldn’t buy a car or truck without knowing terms of the deal, STOP executive director Chip Reno points out. Similarly, the people who voted the attorney general into office should be privy to any deals made to hire personal injury lawyers to file lawsuits for the state. Most state contractors “have to meet set qualifications before doing work, are paid set amounts according to state-issued guidelines, and are publicly announced as winners of competitive bids,” Reno observes. The attorney general, by contrast, may be hiring campaign contributor friends in secret deals to file lawsuits that can be hugely profitable for the campaign contributors. “Chummy deals like this sound fishy, and if they are done at all they should be done in the open where the public can see what's going on," Reno adds.
--Clarion Ledger, "Attorney fees need regulation," October 26, 2006

Legal reform means Mississippi's courts serve Mississippians again
STOP executive director Chip Reno responds to attacks by personal injury lawyers by pointing out, "While personal injury lawyers may find it harder to make millions abusing our legal system, a commonplace occurrence not long ago which created Mississippi's legal crisis, the courts are now open to help victims. However, plaintiffs with no connection to Mississippi and who live a thousand miles away can no longer travel here to claim jackpot awards."
--Clarion Ledger, "Legal reform gave us our courts," October 1, 2006

Unusual new legal theories undermine legal system, and don't help Katrina victims
STOP executive director Chip Reno warns against personal injury lawyers creating new legal theories that may undermine our legal foundations. In the hurricane lawsuits, Reno observes, "Long standing principles such as contracts that govern most aspects of American life are prevailing in the lawsuits, as opposed to what the Wall Street Journal called 'highly novel' lawsuit theories and 'legal nonsense.'"
--Sun Herald, "Katrina victims need help, not new lawsuit theories," September 29, 2006

What's your order, fried chicken… or tofu and bean sprouts?
"Mississippians had better sound the alarm, because hushpuppies, fried catfish and mud pie are under attack," Craig Denson of Madison wrote in the Clarion Ledger in response to a story about a lawsuit against Kentucky Fried Chicken over the use of fattening oil. "It seems people aren't ready to stop abusing the court system and accept some personal responsibility. Anyone going into KFC and ordering fried chicken with the expectation that it's healthy is a fool…. It's the same for just about any type of lawsuit, whether the subject is Katrina damage, an unfortunate outcome in an emergency room, or an unwise dive into a swimming pool: We either pay higher prices or lose access to things we want."
--Clarion Ledger, "Lawsuits unhealthy to customers' lifestyles," July 2, 2006

Are we going down the lawsuit path again?
STOP supporter Milicent Crosby asks how we make sure Katrina victims get the help they need - through lawsuits or efforts by the Barbour Administration to bring grants-in-aid? She references "Mississippi's long-standing rush-to-sue mentality," and states that lawsuits "may delay getting help to people in need…. drag on through legal procedures, and at the conclusion the verdict may be appealed to start the process all over again."
--Clarion Ledger, "Grants, not suits, aid Katrina relief," April 8, 2006

Asbestos/Silica lawsuit fraud: Don't abuse our courts
STOP Executive Director Chip Reno commented on recent reports of asbestos/silica lawsuit fraud and the use of the court system for greed rather than fairness. "Lawsuit abuse rears its ugly head again in Mississippi, with the asbestos/silica fraud that raced through our state courts, and with the new lawsuit feeding frenzy over hurricane damage. In both instances, average citizens will be hurt in the long run as jobs and services are lost to lawsuits."
--Clarion Ledger, "Lawsuit abuse, fraud cost public," March 28, 2006

Don't give up on hard-fought legal reforms
STOP supporter Karen Stubbs notes, "We shouldn't forget the governor's successful efforts in working with the state Legislature to curb lawsuit abuse by passing important legal reforms in 2004.... For Mississippi to slip back into being a lawsuit haven for personal injury lawyers could have a terrible impact on our state's workers and their families.
--Clarion Ledger, "Don't let Miss. Be new lawsuit haven," February 20, 2006

Lawsuit abuse costs everyone
STOP supporter Milicent Crosby writes, "Lawsuits can have uneven effects, with a few people or their lawyers taking in millions, and most citizens ultimately paying for the process. Mississippians went through great pain a few years back because of lawsuit abuse."
--Hattiesburg American, "We must pursue Barbour's solution," February 18, 2006