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News-Sentinel.com Your Town. Your Voice.
Opening Arguments

Another terrible injustice

If you're giving out free hats, better make sure the lawyer gets one:

Long before the Baltimore Orioles passed out lipstick and the Red Sox and other baseball teams began selling pink hats, ``ladies-night" giveaways have been a fixture of America's pastime.

But a California lawyer, denied a free hat at an Oakland A's game because they were reserved for female fans, has filed suit against the team to put a stop to the practice. Alfred Rava calls such giveaways ``sex discrimination on steroids." He is also suing the Los Angeles Angels for giving away tote bags to women only on Mother's Day.

Don't ever say the frivolous-lawsuit lunacy is as bad as it can get.

Comments

Jeff Pruitt
Wed, 08/23/2006 - 7:03am

I understand that everyone gets a little reactionary every once in a while - kind of the logic behind the waiting period to buy a gun.

Maybe it's time we implement that for lawyers - a 72 hour cooling down period before you can file a lawsuit. I mean could this guy really wake up 3 days later and think this is a good idea?

Mike Sylvester
Wed, 08/23/2006 - 10:00am

I take a slightly different view.

I think that each lawyer should be penalized if they file lawsuits that the courts deem to be frivolous. These lawsuits drive up costs in America and are paid for with tax dollars. I would impose a fine system something like:

1. With the first frivolous lawsuit the court issues the lawyer a written warning.

2. The second, third and fourth frivolous lawsuits would result in the lawyer reimbursing the court for all costs of the lawsuit. And I do mean all costs...

3. The fifth would result in the lawyer being "disbarred."

What do you think?

Mike Sylvester

alex
Wed, 08/23/2006 - 11:30am

In England and elsewhere in the civilized world, Mike, frivolous suits are penalized.

The loser simply pays all of the other side's costs. Because people know this going in, they think twice before initiating suit.

However, law is a lucrative and entrenched industry in this country just like firearms. Hell will freeze over before Congress ever does the least thing to rein it in. In fact, the NRA's talking points for guns could easily be substituted for law as a weapon of choice: "If everybody litigated, nobody would win."

Laura
Mon, 08/28/2006 - 2:09am

I agree-if the lawyers were penalized for bringing frivilous lawsuits, the courts would have much more free time to prosecute real cases.

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