Powerful interest groups, like big insurance companies and other large corporations, delay or downright refuse to pay fair and just insurance claims, effectively putting individuals Seventh Amendment right at risk – their right to access to trial by jury.
Since the mid-90s, there has been a fundamental shift in how insurance companies process claims. They have shifted away from the benefit of policyholders and towards the benefit of shareholders, meaning they want to make as much money for themselves as possible to the detriment of those paying premiums.
Access to legal funding and trial lawyers preserves this inalienable right. Together, we are the guardians of those individuals who have been harmed by the negligence of others. When left unregulated, big businesses have proven time and again to be poor self-regulators and therefore must be held accountable for their products, actions, and consequences of their poor business practices.
For these reasons, and for so many more, it’s important to support your local trial lawyers association.
State Trial Lawyers Associations
The American Association for Justice, www.justice.org, works collectively with more than 60 state and local trial attorney associations across the U.S. to promote a fair and effective justice system. They also support the work of attorneys in their efforts to ensure that any person injured by the misconduct or negligence of others can obtain justice in America’s courtrooms – even when taking on the most powerful interest groups and big corporations.
Because of where we are headquartered, Cherokee Funding is proudly an active sponsor of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association (GTLA), www.gtla.org, and have been since our founding. The GTLA’s mission is to protect the Constitutional promise of justice for all by guaranteeing the right to trial by jury, preserving an independent judiciary and providing access to the courts for all Georgians.
In addition to providing access to over 2,000 practicing attorneys who are members of GTLA, they also provide resources, including a document bank of expert depositions, motions, verdicts, appeals, and briefs. Plus, there are membership councils, award recognitions, ceremonies, and other regularly scheduled events.
The community these state trial lawyer associations create means an assembly of expertise, information, and resources to better prepare the defense of individuals who have been wrongfully harmed by unconscionable negligence. Deliberate misconduct will not be tolerated and through these associations, individuals are again empowered to seek justice and fair settlements or verdicts.
Making a Difference
There have been countless examples throughout history, and some very recently, of the immeasurable good these groups, like GTLA, are doing.
Last year, I wrote about the popular, and controversial, Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants liability lawsuit of 1994, where 79-year-old Stella Liebeck was awarded compensatory damages and, the less common, punitive damages after having to endure hospital stays, skin graft surgeries and physical therapy appointments from burns she received from a cup of scalding hot McDonald’s coffee.
If no penalties are brought to big businesses when they are negligent in their behavior, these companies and corporations will continue their operations, ignoring the individual consumer’s best interest.
Here are some other cases worth reading about:
Workplace Safety: Asbestos Subject to Strict Regulation
Flammable Children’s Pajamas Taken Off Market
Football Helmets Now Protect Players
Ford Eliminates Illusory Park Defect after Verdicts
Jury Award Spurs Domino’s to Drop Deadly Policy
At Cherokee Funding, we are proud defenders of the Seventh Amendment and we are equally as proud to be serving in this mission alongside great partners, like the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and others.
For a complete listing of state trial lawyers associations, along with their contact information, go to: www.justice.org/who-we-are/national-advocates-civil-justice-system/state-trial-lawyer-associations.
