Personal Injury Resources

This opinion piece derides the new Class Action Fairness Law as a strike against consumers and unfair protection for corporations.

President Bush gave corporations what will be one of their most prized possessions for years to come: "tort reform." Much like "social security reform," the bill he signed into law protects corporate profits at the expense of the citizen.

Let's say you took Vioxx for arthritis, as prescribed by your doctor. Unknown to both of you, Merck, the pharmaceutical giant that produces this drug, already knew that it significantly increased the risk of heart disease. You and your doctor are both aware of the history of heart disease in your family, and had you been furnished with more information, you would have taken something different, maybe generic. Effective and cheaper for you, but not nearly as much of a profit for Merck.

Well, now that the information has come out that Merck deliberately misled consumers and doctors to make a buck, it seems only fair that you and all the other people misled by this unethical giant should have your day in court.

Bush just made it likely to never happen. With the so-called "Class Action Fairness Act," none of the more than 600 lawsuits pending against Merck (which gave $365,854 to Republicans in 2004) will be heard in a state court, if more than a third of the plaintiffs are not from the same state. Vioxx was distributed nationwide. The case can only be heard in a federal court, which will take years longer, and is much more friendly to business interests.