Posted by Larry Hoover on May 30, 2009, at 17:01:53
In reply to Re: Are the drugs that we're taking killing us? » Neal, posted by jane d on May 29, 2009, at 23:39:59
> Not true! But if you'd like this to be true bug your legislator to outlaw "gag agreements" in court settlements as being against the public interest. Right now you just can't tell whether or not there are big payoffs being made to keep complaints quiet in all sorts of industries. It's become standard to pay off plaintiffs providing they agree never to disclose the amount of settlement or even that they had a complaint in the first place. Good for the plaintiff, good for the offending company, but definately bad for all the rest of us. And an abuse of the court systems we all pay for.
I've got a better idea. Stop allowing jury trials, and limit awards, for civil actions. Like that woman who won gazillions from MacDonalds because she spilled her coffee in her own lap. That was a travesty of justice.
Gag orders can only happen when the parties settle before a trial. And one of the biggest problems with most civil trials is the fact they are decided by juries, and subsequently, their non-sensical awards.
There is no way the FDA would hide mortality information. The mere fact that there are settlements on allegations of serious harm is not evidence that serious harm is attributable to the defendant(s). At that point, it's not about evidence, it's about managing costs.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:898245
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090524/msgs/898497.html