AAJ Launches Hall of Lawsuit Hypocrites
Inductees embody the motto: "Do as I say, not as I sue."
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Every American has a Constitutional right to access justice through the courts – this right even applies to corporations and their front groups. Today, the American Association for Justice (AAJ) and the Take Justice Back campaign, launched the Hall of Lawsuit Hypocrites to showcase some of the corporations and lawmakers that happily exercise their right to access the courts when they stand to benefit, but also tirelessly work to close the courthouse doors on Americans.
"Our civil justice system should provide equal access to justice for all Americans," said AAJ President Lisa Blue Baron. "It is offensive that corporations work to bully Americans out of court while repeatedly using the legal system for their own advantage. There is no way around it – that is lawsuit hypocrisy."
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce leads this edition of the Hall of Lawsuit Hypocrites. The U.S. Chamber has spent hundreds of millions of dollars financing efforts to close the courthouse doors to American consumers through massive lobbying campaigns, advertising and bankrolling anti-consumer political candidates. It has its own multimillion dollar affiliate, the Institute for Legal Reform (ILR), whose sole mission is to restrict the ability of individuals harmed by negligent corporations to file suit.
Yet ironically, the Chamber is also one of the most aggressive litigators in Washington, D.C., appearing in hundreds of lawsuits a year. Also on the list are corporations like FedEx, which has been a stalwart member of the ILR, but did not hesitate to sue one of its customers who repurposed FedEx packaging to build himself a desk, table, chairs, and even a bed.
"Too often, corporations attempt to evade accountability by restricting Americans' access to the courts. The consequences can be devastating for American families' physical wellbeing and financial security because when no one is accountable, no one is safe," added Baron.
The current line up in the Hall of Lawsuit Hypocrites includes: House Speaker John Boehner, the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, FedEx, the Koch Brothers, Johnson & Johnson, Caterpillar, and Hobby Lobby.
You can view the Hall of Lawsuit Hypocrites here.www.takejusticeback.com/HallofLawsuitHypocrites
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aaj-launches-hall-of-lawsuit-hypocrites-342456612.html
SOURCE American Association for Justice
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