John Edwards and tort reform?

June 14, 2007

Is John Edwards trying to atone for his past? Personal injury lawyer Eric Turkewitz sees Edwards selling out:

I have no problem with sanctions for those that bring frivolous suits. And for those that bring frivolous defenses (like blaming the patient for an injury that happened while she was under anesthesia.) Frivolous claims of any kind hurt everyone concerned and should be sanctioned.

But the concept that a case must be proven before it is even started will work only to close the courthouse doors even further.

Either Edwards has completely capitulated to the money of the health care industry at the expense of the downtrodden he claims to represent, or he needs someone to proof-read the policy statements that go out under his name.

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Tagged as: health reform, patient

{ 6 comments }

1 Anonymous June 14, 2007 at 2:47 pm: Why would Edwards atone for bringing meritorious cases?

This is an easy one for him, or any backer of single payer. That will come with a workers comp style no fault system anyway.
2 Anonymous June 14, 2007 at 8:10 pm: Edwards has inhaled too much trial lawyer money to be impartial. Then again, working for that hedge fund may have enlightened him on an even better way to rake in the cash.
3 Anonymous June 14, 2007 at 9:24 pm: yawn
Only a moron would think edwards has a chance to win anyways

a nonissue
4 Matthew June 15, 2007 at 11:03 am: Somehow, I doubt he’s grown a conscience. He bundled it away years ago, I don’t see him trying to find it. More likely he’s just doing what politicians do; saying the thing that he thinks the most people want to hear. He knows that any attempt to whittle down the number of baseless suits will face huge opposition, so perhaps he feels safe in giving it lip service, knowing that trial lawyer money will likely carry the day?
5 Anonymous June 15, 2007 at 11:34 am: I’m curious, Matthew, how do you decide that a man you’ve never met has no conscience?

Is that part of your ability to diagnose the lack of malpractice from newspaper articles, and to explain the failings of the law without ever having been to a courthouse except to pay your traffic tickets?

With all those special powers, I’m sure you would be very useful to the world at large in some other capacity.
6 Anonymous June 15, 2007 at 11:38 am: Wait, maybe you are already doing good work for the nation – are you the guy who looked into Putin’s soul and told Bush we could work with him?

Good call on your part! Next stop China!