2 Drunks get in a fight

Just heard on the local news, 2 Drunks get in a fight. One drunk is in jail because he knocked the other drunk down and he dies.

Now the Widow is suing tavern for not providing enough security. IS THIS CRAZY OR WHAT?

To many lawyers, sorry John T.

This is an outgrowth of the insurance industry. If you suffer any damage from someone even remotely connected with someone who has liability insurance, you can be assured of a settlement in the $8-10,000 range, if there's even a hint of liability. Its a win-win-win- client gets about 2/3, attorney gets about 1/3, and insurance company (which has an obscene amount of income from premiums, so an occasional loss doesn't mean much) avoids going to court. Such awards are called "nuisance damages", in the business.

And actually, "the system", if you can call it that, works. If you think you've been aggrieved, you go to a personal injury attorney. He evaluates the case. If its just completely ridiculous, he'll turn it down. But if it has even a hint of success, he'll take it on a contingency basis. Without contingency (atty only gets paid if you win), many plaintiffs would never have any recourse, because they have no resources to pay an attorney on an hourly basis. If its a "nuisance" case, atty gets some money to keep him going; but it may turn out to be a good case, so client ends up with something, which is better than the nothing he would have gotten if he had to hire an attorney on an hourly basis but couldn't afford to do so. Insurance company will settle for nuisance damages, because it means they won't have to roll the dice and go before a jury, which in our present entitlement culture, is a loose cannon.

Sadly, in our society today there are many, many people who have no greater plan for achieving success than to win a lawsuit or win the lottery. That is their holy grail. Other more conventional and traditional paths to happiness and fortune are never even considered.

I disagree completely with Mike from WA. It is because of all the trial lawyers--who are the scum of the earth in my opinion. If contingency fees were limited to 1/2 of 1% maybe they would quit lying about being "For The People" and tell the truth--they are only after their fat fees.

I agree to an extent about the reasons many insurance companies settle when sued. That said I have yet to see a lawyer that thinks a case isn't winnable. As long as they get paid for their time, they will fight and try to place the liability on anyone even remotely involved in the situation, whether said entity really had any culpability. In that case they will spin things any way they can to insure said entity has culpability and go from there. The fact that a situation such as the one mentioned here can happen is proof enough of that fact.

Basically, like you say, the insurance company has had to become they way they are, and raise premiums so they can still make their 'obscene' profits (and who doesn't like an obscene profit margine), and still be able to pay out for those nuisance cases when they arise.

Ultimately it's the lawyers, and their ability to build their own wealth through others greed, and sense of entitlement, that have caused the whole problem. True the contingency basis for payment, will help folks that wouldn't otherwise be able to file a lawsuit when actually wronged do so, and that's a good thing. Unfortunately, it has become too much of a good thing. So, folks like those mentioned here are using the system, via the shyster lawyers, to line their pockets at the expense of the business world, and ultimately the average consumer.

Funny thing the very ones that are apt to sue over something stupid are the same ones that will b!tch and moan about how high insurance premiums are, how much stores charge, etc, etc....when it's their own actions that are one of the main causes that things are as high priced as they are.

Get rid of the shysters, quit letting lawyers advertise for BS cases on TV (hey they made cigarette mfgs stop advertising, so it can be done), and maybe some of the BS lawsuits will stop.

Yes the insurance companies will settle, but the poor guy who did not really do anything wrong, his insurance rates will go UP.

We hear about similar things quite often.
Some guy gets hurt or killer in a fight.
Some guy gets in a wreck on way home from bar.
ECT ECT...............

And its all the bars fault.
Reason is they served drinks to someone that the average bartender can tell is already over legal state limits.

So in other words......
If you go in a bar and look fresh they can serve you.
If you go in a bar and look like you have already had a drink or two they are suppose to tell you "sorry but you have already had enough".

I place the blame squarely on the lawyers and the legislators who write the laws (most are lawyers) and judges who allow large settlements for nothing (are also lawyers). I've know a lot of lawyers, DAs, judges in my day. Maybe 5% were people you want to be around much.

Just remember, we look at the law as a set of limits and protections for the people. Lawyers look at the law as a tool to use to make money.


It should be added, drunks deserve what they get. Booze is still a plague on our land.

I"ve heard it a million times but let one of the anti lawyer types get into a rearender and they immediately lawyer up and start demanding money.

Guys I didn't mean this to beat up on the lawyers. Lawyers are just pawns in our justice system which needs fixed, but not likely to happen.

In Waldo Fl, police hand out record speeding tickets, city makes over $400K a year. Why fix a cash cow? Our Justice system is a catch, pay ticket, pay court coust, ticket goes away, you are released, free to go and thank you for leaving your money in our town.

Same thing happened in TH after the Sheid diesel event. Cops write tickets, jails are too full, pay your fine, court cost, thank you for your money, the ticket never happened, Come back next year.

I heard in England, if you sue someone and you lose, you pay the other person's legal fees. This may not be true, but I think it would make people think twice about suing. But suing an insurance company is too much of a cash cow to fix. It's cheaper for everyone to settle up out of court.

I've been called for jury duty, only to have case settled before trial. Cop a plea to a lesser charge, costs the county less money and problem is solved.

I don't blame lawyers as much as I blame the broked system. Money talks, poor people go to jail.

(quoted from post at 13:06:46 09/04/14) Guys I didn't mean this to beat up on the lawyers. [b:eafde89b29]Lawyers are just pawns in our justice system which needs fixed, but not likely to happen.
[/b:eafde89b29]


I don't blame lawyers as much as I blame the broked system. Money talks, poor people go to jail.

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'Who do you think created and runs the justice system George? The guy flipping burgers at your local diner?!! Lawyers built the system to make them money. They all participate in it. They aren't going to "fix" what makes their living.