Recent News
In Depth
FFCJ | Forbes.com Spotlights FFCJ’s Legal Liability Toolkit Tutorials
02.01.2010
Without waiting for legislation to end lawsuit abuses‚ FFCJ is helping business and nonprofits to avoid mistakes that attract lawsuits. Each of the five free online Legal Liability Toolkit Tutorials use 20 scenario to familiarize users with liability principles and legal requirements. The tutorials were prepared and reviewed by experienced trial lawyers.
You can view these free, online Tutorials here.
FFCJ Senior Fellow Bob Dorigo Jones‚ whose weekly "Let’s Be Fair!" radio commentaries focus on lawsuit abuse topics‚ says "We want to reduce abusive lawsuits by helping people lower their risk exposure through education. With so many organization's one lawsuit away from bankruptcy’‚ they need help now. These tutorials are easy and fun to use and go to the heart of mistakes that generate lawsuits."
Bob’s blog (www.bobdorigojones.com) provides a forum for Toolkit Tutorial users to dialog about abusive lawsuits they encounter in running businesses and nonprofits. Bob is the creator of the blockbuster annual Wacky Warning Labels contest.
The Leader’s Guide discusses how organizations can take greatest advantage of the program. Users are not required to input their names or email addresses‚ no records are kept‚ and there is no cost.
Download the Leader's Guide Here
FFCJ Liability Toolkit Tutorial Topics Include:
- Recruiting and Hiring Best Practices to Reduce Lawsuit Risks
- Employee Layoff Best Practices to Reduce Lawsuit Risks
- Performance Termination Best Practices to Reduce Lawsuit Risks
- Contract Negotiations and Drafting to Reduce Lawsuit Risks
- Clear and Effective Writing to Reduce Lawsuit Risks
From the Forbes.com Article:
"Dorigo Jones hopes that bringing these labels into the light will draw attention to a deeper and costly issue. "Americans are numb to lawsuit abuse‚" he says. "We want these labels to motivate people when they serve on juries and elect policy makers. We want to prevent people from becoming victims of frivolous lawsuits."
For business owners looking for a bit more protection‚ the Foundation for Fair Civil Justice has developed a series of 30 minute legal tutorials."
Read the Forbes.com article here.
American Tort Reform Foundation Releases 2009 Hellholes Report
01.04.2010
Graham, Chambliss Address Medical Malpractice with ‘Loser Pays’ Reform
11.03.2009
New Report Boosts Backers of Lawsuit Reform
10.19.2009
Whocanisue.com Aggressively Seeks Plantiffs
10.13.2009
Pension Pay-to-Play: Law Firms Gave Controllers Big Bucks, Then Got $518M in Fees From State Fund
10.08.2009
Activists Sue Texas to Restrict Greenhouse Gases
10.07.2009
Court Upholds $250k cap for Lawsuit Damages Against Cities
10.02.2009
Dean says no tort reform because trial lawyers too intimidating
08.31.2009
FFCJ Releases Exclusive “Role of the Courts” Video
08.26.2009
Millions to Learn About Constitutional Role
To stimulate public discussion about the importance for state court decisions to adhere to the principle of the "rule of law", FFCJ has produced a short video program that will be aired as regular programming starting this month on PBS. PBS expects a minimum of 3 million viewers to watch it! Watch the exclusive video by clicking here. "The Role of the Courts" will also be available for more than 38 million subscribers on cable starting in January. "The Role of the Courts" features two retired state Supreme Court Justices -- Harold See of Alabama (above right) and Cliff Taylor of Michigan (below right). See and Taylor briefly discuss how the judicial system was framed by the U.S. Constitution. As Harold See points out,
"The question is not are the judges doing what you would like them to do, the question is, are they are doing what the Constitution and the law require them to do?" "The court's job is to follow the law and follow the Constitution. And, it may be that produces outcomes that people who aren't aware of that template find offensive", says Cliff Taylor. "Our mission, in partnership with more than 60 state and national legal reform organizations, is to educate the public and key stakeholders about the vital role the civil justice system plays in supporting American prosperity and entrepreneurship," said Steve Nowlan, FFCJ president. "Our goal is to ensure that the public understand its stake in a healthy civil justice system that is free from abusive liability laws and frivolous lawsuits." Watch the exclusive video by clicking here.
Staten Island mom settles suit with Little League and coaches over knee injury
08.16.2009
Shrimp Suit Doesn’t Hold Water
08.16.2009
New Lead Limits Big Concern for Small Business
08.16.2009
Obstetrics Crisis Growing In Pa.
08.16.2009
(The Bulletin) The obstetrics crisis in Pennsylvania is growing. Last month, the maternity units at Brandywine Hospital near Coatesville, Chestnut Hill Hospital in the affluent Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia and Central Montgomery Medical Center in Lansdale, all closed. So far, 17 maternity wards have closed in Philadelphia since 1997. According to one source, the waiting period for gynecologic care for a new patient in the five-county Southeastern Pennsylvania area is six to nine months. Watch FFCJ's exclusive video documentary on this crisis by clicking here.
Wacky Warning Labels 2009 Winners Announced
08.16.2009
Watch a video with the winner of the 2009 contest!
Are you interested in submitting a label for our 2010 contest? Read below for details on how to submit your entry! You could win $1000!
Read More about Bob Dorigo Jones, and his activities as FFCJ Spokesperson by clicking here.
2009 Winners of the Wacky Warning Label Contest have been announced. Now in its 12th year, the internationally known contest is sponsored by the Foundation for Fair Civil Justice. Millions of people around the world are reading stories or watching television news reports about the contest and laugh at how silly the warning labels are. Bob Dorigo Jones, who developed the contest, explained that behind these silly labels is a serious public policy concern—America’s out-of-whack system of civil justice. The contest reveals how lawsuits and the fear of lawsuits have driven companies to spend millions on common-sense warnings. This year’s winner is a submission from Steve Shiflett of Hampton, Georgia. The label is attached to a portable toilet seat for outdoorsmen called “The Off-Road Commode” because it is designed to attach to a vehicle’s trailer hitch. The warning label reads "Not for use on moving vehicles". Other winners include:
- A wart removal product instruction guide that warns, “Do not use if you cannot see clearly to read the information in the information booklet.”
- A label on the underside of a cereal bowl warns, “Always use this product with adult supervision.”
- A small, 1” x 4” LCD panel warns, “Do not eat the LCD panel.”
- A bag of livestock castration rings warns, “For animal use only.”
“Once a year, millions of people around the world get a collective laugh from our winners,” said Bob Dorigo Jones, contest creator and bestselling author. “The truth is, this is no laughing matter. Outrageous warning labels confirm that the American civil justice system is out of whack! In today’s economy, Wacky Warning Labels demonstrate the tax we all pay for lawsuit abuse.” “Legal reform is urgently needed to help propel America’s economic recovery." says Dorigo Jones. "Companies need to be focusing on developing new products and jobs, not on defending themselves against frivolous lawsuits. But today, the thickest section of any telephone book in the U.S. is the section advertising the services of personal injury lawyers, and that is not a recipe for an economic recovery. For America to thrive, we need to expand the labor market, not the litigation market.”
“According to the Pacific Research Institute” continued Dorigo Jones, “$589 billion would be saved per year for investment in new jobs and consumer spending if U.S. tort-cost levels were comparable in relative size with other industrialized countries. This amount equals an annual "litigation tax" for a family of four of more than $9,000." In its 2007 "Jackpot Justice" study, PRI points out that jobs, earnings, output, tax revenue, and population grow faster in top tort states than bottom, and tax rates are lower too.
Are you interested in submitting a label for our 2010 contest?
FFCJ is awarding cash prizes to the top three wackiest warning labels. If you have a warning label you would like to submit to FFCJ, please send the original label and your name and address to: Wacky Warning Label Contest, 39555 Orchard Hill Place, Suite 600, Novi, MI, 48375. We cannot accept entries via the internet because of the need to verify the authenticity of the labels.
Important Prize Information
The grand prize winner will receive $1000 and a copy of the new bestselling book, Remove Child Before Folding, The 101 Stupidest, Silliest and Wackiest Warning Labels Ever, by Bob Dorigo Jones. The second place winner receives $500 and the third place winner receives $250. Please submit labels to FFCJ by April 15, 2010.
Rules
All individuals entering the FFCJ Wacky Warning Label Contest agree to the following: Labels that are submitted to the contest become the property of FFCJ. Entries may include the actual label, or, if the label cannot be mailed, a photo of the label. If the same label is submitted by more than one person, the first person to submit the label will qualify for the prize. If you have any questions, email FFCJ at bobdj@foundationforfairciviljustice.org.
