Bob Dorigo Jones, who serves as Senior Fellow for the Center for America, is the author of the bestselling Remove Child Before Folding, The 101 Stupidest, Silliest and Wackiest Warning Labels Ever. He is the host of a new national radio/Internet commentary, “Let’s Be Fair,” through which he shares important stories about the impact of crazy lawsuits and a litigation-happy culture on our communities and families.
Bob has overseen high-profile programs calling attention to the absurdity of lawsuit abuse, including the internationally profiled annual Wacky Warning Labels Contest. Bob has appeared on dozens of national and international TV and radio programs, including NBC Nightly News, ABC News’ 20/20, BBC WorldNews, FOX News, and CNBC.
Dorigo Jones, who also serves as president of Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch (M-LAW), a Foundation for Fair Civil Justice partner organization, has focused for nearly two decades on educating the public about how families, communities, and job providers are hurt by out-of-control lawsuit abuse.
Prior to joining FFCJ and M-LAW, Dorigo Jones served on the staff of the Michigan House of Representatives. He received a B.A. in economics and political philosophy from James Madison College at Michigan State University.
Catch Bob’s latest commentaries about America’s whacked-out civil justice system on his blog at http://www.bobdorigojones.com/
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There’s an old saying that warns “Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.”
It’s wise advice we need to follow when working to eliminate frivolous lawsuits. Sure, changes are needed in our legal system, but we have to be careful to protect victims. Sometimes, we even need to protect victims from the lawyers who are supposed to be helping them.
For example, let’s look at the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Thousands of people have been hurt, and lawsuits will be needed. But courts have to make sure that those who were hurt get the money they deserve.
After Hurricane Katrina, trial lawyers negotiated suspicious legal settlements that earned them millions while leaving many victims with little compensation. Now, some lawyers who want to cash in big on the Gulf oil spill are asking Congress to shift these lawsuits from federal courts to state courts. Why? They believe it will be easier to arrange sweetheart deals for themselves in state courts, but it’s bad for victims.
As a watchdog over the courts, we’ll be keeping an eye on this to make sure victims’ needs are put first. Find out more at BobDorigoJones.com.