, panicking customers – and does so based on junk science admitted to the courtrooms by injudicious judges – there really is the possibility of making sure it doesn’t happen again.When criminals fleeing the scene of a crime can win damages in court against the police for using force to stop them, something is wrong. When a drunk who falls in front of a subway can sue the transit authority and win in court, something is wrong – and every fair-minded person knows it. New Yorkers want a civil justice system that provides real justice, grounded in common sense and fairness. New Yorkers for Civil Justice Reform that consists of over 1,000 small and large businesses, professionals, and local governments has been working for three years to change the laws that govern civil suits.The Problem: Civil In-justice. Approximately every sector of New York’s economy is affected by the threat of virtually open-ended liability created by the state’s current tort laws. Few issues have as great an impact on the bottom line of so many different companies and industries, as well as municipalities, school districts and non-profit groups, throughout the state of New York.In the last four years New York City taxpayers have paid out approximately $1 billion in awards for personal injury actions. Well over half of that amount was attributable to “pain and suffering,” a highly subjective and amorphous concept, as opposed to economic damages such as lost earnings or medical expenses. Of the total amount paid, 33 to 40 percent went to attorneys in the form of contingency fees or to experts or other in reimbursements for expenses. In FY 1977 the City’s total payout in tort actions was less than $25 million compared to $120 million in FY 1987 a mere ten year difference, and a staggering $282 million for FY 1996. Would you believe half of that money could have been used to hire 2,800 police officers or ove...
