A look at some of the dumbest labels telling consumers how not to hurt themselves
4th March 2011
The plaintiff’s bar has plenty to do with this silly — and costly — trend. Sham product-liability cases can rack up very real damages. In 2007 the median jury award in product liability cases was just north of $1.9 million, estimates Jury Verdict Research, which tracks results of personal-injury claims.
“America’s legal system is based on the fact that there are some things so obvious that you don’t need to warn about [them],” says Bob Dorigo Jones, senior fellow for the Foundation for Fair Civil Justice, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the American legal system. Still, he adds, “it doesn’t stop people from suing because the legal system has become a litigation lottery.”