The Jersey Journal reported, "The US Chamber of Commerce's Institute of Legal Reform published a list of 2011's most ridiculous lawsuits as compiled by FacesofLawsuitAbuse.org." The website also features "a poll in which readers were able to vote on the lawsuit they felt was most ridiculous." However, the Jersey Journal noted, American Association for Justice spokesperson Micelle Widmann "was quick to point out the irony" of the Chamber's list. "Absent from the Chamber's list is the more than 100 lawsuits they file annually to destroy workplace safety standards and eliminate consumer protections," Widmann said. "But would you expect any less hypocrisy from a corporate front group raking in cash from chronic polluters, Wall Street banks, and big pharma?"
The National Law Journal lists some of the cases highlighted by the Chamber, noting that the organization "released the list on Dec. 29, and attempts to reach representatives of that organization or of the American Association for Justice, which represents the plaintiffs' bar, were unsuccessful during the long holiday weekend." However, the article was later updated to include the AAJ statement issued through Ms. Widmann.
In his "Y'Think?" blog in the Fayetteville Observer, Gene Smith took similar issue with the Chamber's list, noting that "there's no mention of the disposition of those cases" that are listed, and that some have already been dismissed while others have not yet reached a preliminary hearing. Smith also points out that "there's not a bankruptcy on the list -- not even an itty-bitty fine," which is important "because (A) The Top Ten were posted by the chamber's Institute for Legal Reform, a title that implies a need for a fix, and (B) the Institute's annual roll call 'helps to remind us that abusive lawsuits affect real people and real businesses, and can have harmful results to lives, jobs, and even our economic growth.'" No abuse is illustrated in the list, Smith contends.
From the American Association of Justice press release.
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