Why do liberals seem to believe that they have a corner on the market of true concern for the least of our society? It constantly amazes me that the majority of my fellow trial lawyers voice astonishment that an attorney like myself (politically, socially and religiously conservative) could desire to be an advocate for the little guy instead of defending insurance companies and other big business types. When did it become taken for granted that to believe in the principal of equal justice for all, you must be a left-leaning, social liberal, loyal to the Democrat party?
And what’s even worse is how many conservative organizations call out for tort reform and ignorantly demonize all trial lawyers.
Let me introduce you to the Center for a Just Society. Its mission is “to advance and defend Judeo-Christian principles of human dignity and social justice in law, policy and the public square.”
This conservative organization believes in our civil justice system including the right to jury trial. Let me share with you what the Center for a Just Society says about our present tort law system:
The tort system affirms basic human dignity and the sanctity of human life.
By requiring a wrongdoer to compensate an injured person for the damage caused by a wrongful act, we affirm the worth, value, and dignity of every member of society. We demonstrate that we take human dignity seriously when, as a society, we guard against encroachments (deliberate or unintentional) by anyone on the dignity or humanity of another. No wrongdoer should be permitted to injure or kill another person with impunity. To hold otherwise undermines society’s view of the importance of human dignity and the sanctity of human life.
The tort system promotes responsibility by holding wrongdoers accountable for their actions.
Personal accountability is the key to responsible human behavior. We cannot expect people to act in a responsible manner unless we hold them accountable for the consequences of their actions. If we remove accountability for wrongdoing, we encourage people to engage in irresponsible and antisocial behavior. The people who will suffer the most from such behavior will be the weakest and most vulnerable members of our society (i.e., the elderly, the handicapped, and the infirm).
The tort system promotes local control.
Through the jury system, people at the local level decide what is reasonable behavior within their own communities. Ordinary citizens, applying a common sense standard of reasonable care, making decisions about acceptable and unacceptable conduct within their community—that is the essence of local government. And, as a result of those decisions, suppliers of goods and services within the marketplace will often modify their own behaviors (i.e., improve health care standards, place guards on dangerous products, protect against discharge of toxic pollutants) without the necessity of yet another costly and intrusive governmental bureaucracy.
The tort system provides for just compensation from wrongdoers and relieves the rest of society of unfair burdens.
Fundamental fairness dictates that one who suffers a loss at the hands of a wrongdoer be compensated for the wrong he has suffered. If our system of justice fails to provide just compensation, the victim, or his family, will be inclined to seek personal revenge or retribution. This promotes a spirit of vigilantism and contributes further to the breakdown of social order. Additionally, if the wrongdoer is not required to bear the loss occasioned by his wrongdoing (i.e. medical bills, lost wages, etc.) those losses will have to be borne by the rest of society. When society has to pick up the tab for the losses caused by a wrongdoer, the result is the involuntary redistribution of wealth among persons who are innocent of any wrongdoing. This is just another form of “welfare” which rewards irresponsible behavior and punishes innocent parties.
It should be apparent from the foregoing that the tort system has played an important and historic role in the ordering of civil society by providing all citizens, both weak and strong, the ability to seek justice. That does not mean that the system can’t be improved. But to the extent that reforms of the system occur, we should take care to ensure that they are, in fact, improvements. Not all change equates with progress. To quote the Hippocratic oath, we must ensure that we first do no harm.
