Businesses much more likely to file suit than individuals

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Wed, 06 Oct 2004 06:59:26 -0700

Businesses much more likely to file suit than individuals

 

 

 

U.S. Businesses File Four Times More Lawsuits Than Private Citizens

And Are Sanctioned Much More Often for Frivolous Suits

 

But Corporate America and Political Allies Bush and Cheney Campaign to

Limit Citizens' Rights to Sue

 

http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=1799 .

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. †" American businesses file four times as many

lawsuits as do individuals represented by trial attorneys, and they

are penalized by judges much more often for pursuing frivolous

litigation, according to a report issued today by Public Citizen.

 

The survey of case filings in two states (Arkansas and Mississippi)

and two local jurisdictions (Cook County, Ill., and Philadelphia, Pa.)

in 2001 found that businesses were 3.3 to 5.8 times more likely to

file lawsuits than were individuals. This comes as businesses and

politicians are campaigning to limit citizens’ rights to sue over

everything from medical malpractice damages to defective products. By

way of comparison, the number of American consumers (281 million)

outnumbers the number of businesses in America (7 million) by 40 times.

 

The report also found that businesses and their attorneys were 69

percent more likely than individual tort plaintiffs and their

attorneys to be sanctioned by federal judges for filing frivolous

claims or defenses. The report, Frequent Filers: Corporate Hypocrisy

in Accessing the Courts, is available...

 

“Corporations think America is too litigious only when they are on

the receiving end of a lawsuit,†said Joan Claybrook, president of

Public Citizen. “But when they feel aggrieved, businesses are far

more likely to take their beef to court than are consumers.â€

 

...more..