esrosedotblog

SO SUE ME

Kevin Drum writes today about the litigious culture in the USA and finds that it ain't the culture.

Why We Sue

It is imbedded in our culture. And laws.

I am litigation averse. When I would get called up for jury duty I would always find a way out of sitting on a civil suit. Medical damages, the payment of insurance by which company and so on.

Not only are these cases boring to the nth degree but they also represent a value conflict for me.

I figure that I am responsible for myself and that I take risks or not based on my ability to choose, learn, study, decide. In other words, if I sign up to be fucked over, then I deserve to get fucked over.

Now, this brave disposition may be based more on the fact that I have never had anything happen to me than that I know what I am talking about.

But I don't think so.

I think nothing has ever happened because I took responsibility.

The one time I sued someone it was a counter suit. They sued us first. And it was us. Not me.

It went to a jury. What a horror show that was.

We lost.

But I accepted that because when you take up the sword in business or elsewhere, you take the risk of dying by the sword.

We refused to renew someone's contract and he sued us. He had a better lawyer than we did.

But listen to this.

After we lost the suit, his lawyer billed him for a million dollars and he didn't pay the lawyer.

The lawyer sued for the money.

And won.

It went on and on.

The lawyer, as it happened, did time during all this for some shit he pulled with his exwife.

Most of these people live in court. Live on the legal edge. Sue each other and get sued. Lose their life to being bored to tears sitting in a courtroom. And, if I may so blunt, don't give me any of that about a "jury of my peers". There ain't any such thing. The jury selection process almost makes that impossible.

What else do I have to bitch about today as far as the legal system goes? Not much.

We just sold a house. I hope that we disclosed everything and that the guy isn't litigious. You takes your money and takes your risks.

Labels: culture