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Some Tort Reform With Your Hot Coffee
HBO is currently running a documentary called “Hot Coffee.” In this special, HBO examines the dangers of tort reform, using the now infamous legal battle over a spilled cup of hot coffee as a springboard.
Literally, the word “tort” is a legal term that refers to a wrongful or unlawful act that results in any type of personal injury. Tort laws are simply laws which have been made to protect injured people.
According to attorney Susan Saladoff, who originally produced “Hot Coffee” (which she has subsequently sold to HBO), the term “tort reform” was created by large corporate interests. Essentially, it refers to the different ways that people are giving up their rights to access the court system.
Audiences for “Hot Coffee” begin the film assuming that it is about frivolous lawsuits and our litigious society, but when they see the truth behind the McDonalds case – particularly the graphic pictures – their minds are opened to the other stories included.
In an HBO interview, Saladoff says, “ ‘Reform’ implies that it’s a good thing, but really it just helps corporations be less accountable and make more money.”
Avera & Smith strongly recommends that you see “Hot Coffee” on HBO. It includes truly valuable information about how this country’s court system operates and how little citizens actually know about their rights when faced with personal injury of any type.
Please contact us if you, or someone close to you, has been injured due to negligence by a company more concerned with its bottom line than with the welfare of its customers, clients, or patients.
