TORT REFORM

A woman was awarded almost $3 million against McDonald’s for spilled coffee. While opening a pickle jar, a woman injures her back and is compensated $2.2 million by a court. A jury awarded $150 million in damages against General Motors to a motorist who had been drinking beer and not wearing his seatbelt.1 These are just a handful of awards that have been granted which happen every day and are prime examples of frivolous litigation. Plaintiffs who feel they had been done wrong or injured by negligence can file a lawsuit under tort law. A tort is a wrongful act, damage or injury done willfully, negligently or in circumstances involving strict liability.2 Many experts argue that the only way to prevent frivolous lawsuits is through the practice of tort reform. A variety of tort reforms have been proposed and enacted throughout the United States over the past two decades, yet none have ultimately solved the problems of faulty litigation.3 The tort reform issue is causing much de...