Britain: the need for liability insurance is “the hidden, insidious enemy of variety in communal life”, choking off all manner of neighborhood get-togethers and local fun. Goodbye to a football barbecue: “In order to cover against someone contracting a stomach ailment and then deciding to sue, it would have cost the football club more than ?250 for one afternoon to run the barbecue”. Goodbye also to the local annual tradition of “pole-walking” on a greased telegraph pole in a seaside Welsh village, deemed uninsurable though no one had actually hurt themselves seriously doing it. And “no one dares go ahead without cover. It is happening everywhere: f?tes and fund-raising events shredded of anything that might carry potential for injury, and thus potential for fun.” (Jim White, Daily Telegraph (U.K.), Jul. 5).
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“Public liability — a f?te worse than death”
Britain: the need for liability insurance is “the hidden, insidious enemy of variety in communal life”, choking off all manner of neighborhood get-togethers and local fun. Goodbye to a football barbecue: “In order to cover against someone contracting a stomach ailment and then deciding to sue, it would have cost the football club more than ?250 for one afternoon to run the barbecue”. Goodbye also to the local annual tradition of “pole-walking” on a greased telegraph pole in a seaside Welsh village, deemed uninsurable though no one had actually hurt themselves seriously doing it. And “no one dares go ahead without cover. It is happening everywhere: f?tes and fund-raising events shredded of anything that might carry potential for injury, and thus potential for fun.” (Jim White, Daily Telegraph (U.K.), Jul. 5).
“Public liability — a f?te worse than death”
Britain: the need for liability insurance is “the hidden, insidious enemy of variety in communal life”, choking off all manner of neighborhood get-togethers and local fun. Goodbye to a football barbecue: “In order to cover against someone contracting a stomach ailment and then deciding to sue, it would have cost the football club more than ?250 for one afternoon to run the barbecue”. Goodbye also to the local annual tradition of “pole-walking” on a greased telegraph pole in a seaside Welsh village, deemed uninsurable though no one had actually hurt themselves seriously doing it. And “no one dares go ahead without cover. It is happening everywhere: f?tes and fund-raising events shredded of anything that might carry potential for injury, and thus potential for fun.” (Jim White, Daily Telegraph (U.K.), Jul. 5).
“Public liability — a f?te worse than death”
Britain: the need for liability insurance is “the hidden, insidious enemy of variety in communal life”, choking off all manner of neighborhood get-togethers and local fun. Goodbye to a football barbecue: “In order to cover against someone contracting a stomach ailment and then deciding to sue, it would have cost the football club more than ?250 for one afternoon to run the barbecue”. Goodbye also to the local annual tradition of “pole-walking” on a greased telegraph pole in a seaside Welsh village, deemed uninsurable though no one had actually hurt themselves seriously doing it. And “no one dares go ahead without cover. It is happening everywhere: f?tes and fund-raising events shredded of anything that might carry potential for injury, and thus potential for fun.” (Jim White, Daily Telegraph (U.K.), Jul. 5).
“Public liability — a f?te worse than death”
Britain: the need for liability insurance is “the hidden, insidious enemy of variety in communal life”, choking off all manner of neighborhood get-togethers and local fun. Goodbye to a football barbecue: “In order to cover against someone contracting a stomach ailment and then deciding to sue, it would have cost the football club more than ?250 for one afternoon to run the barbecue”. Goodbye also to the local annual tradition of “pole-walking” on a greased telegraph pole in a seaside Welsh village, deemed uninsurable though no one had actually hurt themselves seriously doing it. And “no one dares go ahead without cover. It is happening everywhere: f?tes and fund-raising events shredded of anything that might carry potential for injury, and thus potential for fun.” (Jim White, Daily Telegraph (U.K.), Jul. 5).
Guns and federalism dialogue begins
My friendly argument with Michael Krauss over federalism and gun litigation (he thinks the Constitution bars national pre-emption, I don’t) just began at PointOfLaw.com. I’ve just posted my initial volley, and Michael tells me he’ll have a response ready to post this morning. We’ll be going through Thursday or Friday, exploring different aspects of the issue. Stop by and, if the issue interests you, check in often for updates.
Initiative battles
In Florida, the state supreme court has certified for the fall ballot a doctor-backed initiative (see Mar. 1) that would cut lawyers’ fees in malpractice cases, and also three lawyer-backed “revenge” initiatives aimed at the doctors. And in Colorado, a proposed amendment is headed for the ballot that would write into the state constitution broad rights to sue over construction defects. Major battles are expected on both — details at Point Of Law (Fla., Colo.).
Siccing the law on Fox News
Given its role in campaign speech suppression, we’ve long associated the goo-goo group Common Cause with scary assaults on free speech, so we can’t say we’re exactly surprised at this latest: in a petition to the Federal Trade Commission, it and the leftist MoveOn.org are alleging that the Fox News Network should be exposed to penalties for consumer fraud for using the slogan “Fair and Balanced” while repeatedly broadcasting views strenuously disapproved of by C.C. and MO.O. (Jake Coyle, “Fox News’ use of ‘Fair and Balanced’ challenged legally”, AP/San Diego Union-Tribune, Jul. 19; Charles Geraci, “Activists Ask FTC to Take Action Against Fox News”, Editor and Publisher, Jul. 19). Fox “doesn’t have the right to market its network services to prospective viewers and advertisers by masquerading as a news network,” claims former FTC chairman Michael Pertschuk, who we’re very relieved held that position way back in the Carter era rather than more recently. (Albert Eisele and Jeff Dufour, “Under the dome: ‘Fair and balanced’ fight: Lefties hit Fox with FTC petition”, The Hill, Jul. 20). No word yet on whether equally inflamed right-wingers plan to haul the New York Times off to the authorities for using the slogan “All the News That’s Fit To Print”, which is no more believable than Fox’s (via Amy Ridenour). More: Jul. 26.
“Keep your laws off my sex jokes”
Guest blogger coming tomorrow
Beginning tomorrow we’ll be joined for a week by a new guest blogger. Be sure to stop by.