So that’s why that happened

FSBD has discussed some of the rulings of the Ohio Supreme Court – including those that  stated products are never defective after 10 years, or limiting the amounts juries can give against the worst of the worst, or providing excuses for drivers who break the law and kill other drivers.  These rulings seem to defy common sense.  Why do they come out this way?


There has been a rash of articles recently focusing on the impact of campaign contributions to Judges, especially in Ohio.  Massive amounts of corporate money have been flowing in to judicial elections over the last decade.  No surprise, then, that state supreme court decisions tend to favor insurance companies and corporations over individuals.  You may have even see that two of the Justices on the Ohio Supreme Court are currently in hot water over campaign contributions they received at the same time they were hearing a case involving the contributors.

What does this mean to you:

Take the time to learn about judicial races.  Talk to your lawyer about what the candidates for judge stand for.  The decisions they make truly do affect all of us.


I just saw this story today about a supreme court race in Illinois.  Perhaps it is time to embrace public financing for judicial campaigns.


That is NOT normal

I am not sure if this video is a critique of engineering standards, politicians, or just Australians.  Nonetheless, it seems to illustrate the often odd, and sometimes belligerent, lengths some will go to in order to deflect personal responsibility away from themselves.

The front fell off.

What does this mean to you:

As wacky as this video seems, corporate decision-makers and insurance adjusters often don’t like to admit reality when there is money at stake.  That’s why a lawyer’s ability to take depositions of these folks in litigation and put them under oath is a powerful tool.

They did what to who?

Unfortunately, car insurance companies rarely live up to their commercials, as we’ve discussed before.  Otherwise, that perky Flo from Progressive would be giddily settling claims to and fro and whatnot.

Go ahead. Make a claim. I dare you.

I saw this tragic story making the rounds online.  At the trial for the wrongful death of a motorist, the lawyer for the insurance company for the motorist (Progressive) worked in conjunction with the lawyer for the at-fault driver.  That is, the dead woman’s own insurance company called witnesses to try and blame her for the crash, just like the lawyer for the person who caused the wreck did.  Talk about adding insult to injury.

This is common litigation strategy and how most insurance companies behave, whether they are yours or someone else’s, because money is on the line.  Their goal in any case like this is to pay the least amount of money possible.

What does this mean to you:

In Ohio, your car insurance has a legal obligation to treat you in “good faith.”  If they don’t, they can be help responsible for additional damages beyond what they owe for your personal injury case itself.








Add one more to the list

When we think of things that are dangerous to children, generally things like strollers or cribs come to mind.  But products designed for adults pose a dangers to little ones as well.  I stumbled on this tragic story about unstable furniture, like dressers, cabinets, and chests, that can tip over and pin children down, often with disastrous consequences.

Child climbing a dresser

What does this mean to you:

As parents, we can’t assume that only “kids products” pose dangers to kids.  To anticipate what children might get into, we have to to think like they would and approach common situations as they would.  Come to think of it, that might not be a bad way to approach life anyway for purposes of our health, business success, and mental acuity.

Rental Car Companies Ignore Recalls, Killing Two

I saw this story about rental car companies failing to pay attention to recall notices.  Scary stuff.  Thanks to Now I Know More for highlighting this.

Rental Car Companies Ignore Recalls, Killing Two.