Lately, the news has been full of reports about unscrupulous trial lawyers.  In September, a trial lawyer was disbarred for illegally demanding $2 million from a client. Two weeks ago, Scott Johnson, who is responsible for thousands of ADA lawsuits across California, was accused of crimes (that we won’t mention here).

Class action lawsuits are meant to help provide efficiencies in the legal system.  But do they always result in fairness?

In the case of Glazer v. Whirlpool, fairness could be determined by the U.S. Supreme Court. This class action, involving the high efficiency washing machines and a potential to develop an odor later, has been appealed to the court.  

Editor's Note: Project Lawsuit Abuse regularly highlights lawsuit abuse news from across the country. Today, By Maryann Marino, Regional Director of California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, contributed a guest post as part of the continuing Create Jobs, Not Lawsuits tour.

The “Create Jobs, Not Lawsuits” Tour pulled into South Gate for a spirited luncheon and media event last Wednesday. We’ve been traveling around California hearing small business owners share their experiences with lawsuit abuse or fear of lawsuits.

Tort reformers have been turning up all over the internet recently. We took the liberty of rounding up some of the standouts. You may recognize a few friends of Project Lawsuit Abuse in there. Here are some of the newsmakers from around the country.

How Tort Reform Could Increase Access to Justice for Patients
Limiting damages in medical malpractice cases — what most people think of as “tort reform” — could become a hot topic again if Georgia legislators finally try to reimpose the caps thrown out by the state Supreme Court in 2010. -Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Everything really is bigger in Texas. The Lone Star State has experienced enormous job growth in the last few years. It is no coincidence that this job surge followed the state’s passage of significant legal reforms such as “loser pays,” where plaintiffs must cover their opponents’ legal fees if their claims are found groundless.

These changes have brought Texas litigation costs to a record low and made it a model of success for other states.

All across the country, school districts are struggling financially. Many have been forced to eliminate extracurricular programs and reduce classroom spending. But there is one area of spending where schools haven’t been able to cut back – legal costs.

In this day and age of jackpot justice, school officials know that they can be hit with frivolous lawsuits at any moment, and that these lawsuits could bankrupt entire school districts. In an attempt to prevent such incidences, many school districts now spend millions on preventative legal services alone!

Editor's Note: Project Lawsuit Abuse regularly highlights lawsuit abuse news from across the country. Today, By Larry Westerlund, Councilman, City of Fresno and member of California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, contributed a guest post as part of the continuing Create Jobs, Not Lawsuits tour.

California frequently brings us pictures of how greedy trial lawyers create new avenues to litigation and abuses of the system.  The recent story from Fox and Hounds Daily demonstrates the broken system, yet again.

Minority communities and small businesses owned by minorities have fallen prey to the latest legal ploy.  Lawyers target these areas with hopes of easy settlements because of the barriers such as language and familiarity with the court system – two things that frequently lead to some “quick cash” for lawyers drumming up lawsuits.

Want to fight crime in New York?  How about fighting legal abuse first?

Lawsuits against the New York Police Department are costing the city $150 million a year, as reported by New York World on Wednesday.  The article cites a “28 percent increase [in the number of lawsuits] over the previous fiscal year.”

Have you heard? October 1-7 marks Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week.  Reformers across the country are spreading the word, bringing a voice to the victims of lawsuit abuse and showing the widespread effects of abusive lawsuits on our economy.

Here are five ways you can take action and make your voice heard: