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Why you and your family are safer today than they were 80 years ago. Tort Reform Part IV

Eighty years ago there was very little corporate accountability. When people were maimed or killed they had to look to family and neighbors for support. Serious injuries caused by defective products was many times more common than it is today.  Was it fair for corporations to make vast amounts of money yet not be accountable for the harm it caused? The courts said no. Everyone is supposed to pay their own way so-to-speak and that should apply to corporations like railroads, steel mills, and utility companies. The corporations were getting a free ride. The courts helped to put a stop to this irresponsible behavior.

The courts began developing a body of case law around 1920 that institutionalized fairness for those injured by defective products and by negligent acts of corporations. One important outcome of this was that society became safer. Railroads, traffic lights, medicine and automobiles just to name a few began a series of risk management procedures to improve safety and reduce risk. The same is true in the practice of medicine. Why did it take the court's rulings to make this happen? Very simple; liability encourages responsibility. Corporations pay attention to the bottom line. If a defective product causes the corporation to lose money then it will stop making the product or make the product safe.

For More Information On Tort Reform:

Part I

Part II

Part III