Comments on: Swiss sledders, skiers seldom sue

By: Tom T.

Tom T. — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 20:25:52 +0000

I’m not a skier, so this is all unfamiliar to me. Do US runs not have tree trunks and exposed banks? Have there been US ski areas that have been hit hard by lawsuits?

By: Benji

Benji — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:35:02 +0000

Working on contingency isn’t an absolute evil – there are legitimate claims where a plaintiff’s prospect of paying many thousands of dollars up front can be scary, and just giving the lawyers a cut of the final outcome is a lot easier than hourly billing. Plus, it removes the opposition’s incentive to bury you in motions and outspend you into submission. It’s not perfect and might allow certain abuses, but it’s better than some alternatives and any system will have some ways of being abused one way or another.

By: J.T. Wenting

J.T. Wenting — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 06:54:06 +0000

and that sums up why in the US there are so many frivolous lawsuits:
1) juries, the members of which are more interested in making notes (and ensuring success) for their own get-rich-quick scheme lawsuits than serving justice
2) lawyers who pre-finance lawsuits rather than demanding pay as you go service, and offer no cure no pay (illegal in many countries)
3) no limits to the payouts (in most countries such lawsuits as bring in tens or hundreds of millions would bring only a few tens of thousands, barely enough to cover the legal cost)

By: smcg

smcg — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 09:34:01 +0000

In Austria it is even better because you can do it in the dark, after drinking gluwein or schnaps, on a Rodel Abend!

By: Ted Frank

Ted Frank — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:25:19 +0000

I had a similar experience.