Re: Business Week article -- Imus Hires Atty.

[Guest guest]

Normally, I don't condone all the " suit " happy lawyers. But after

realizing that the very same network NBC who decided to fire Imus for

his comments, was the very same network who chose to air those

horrific videos of the VT shooter. Not only did they play them once

but over and over again, which led to other stations playing it over

and over. And they were concerned over what Imus said? Get real! I

say good for Imus, sue em!

[Guest guest]

As a trial lawyer I want to tell you that you should understand that

what you read and hear about " suit happy " lawyers is mostly hype and

disinformation promulgated by business and corporate interests. In fact

most litigation is brought by large corporations against each other.

(see Public Citizen's report on this). Good lawyers are careful about

the cases they take - a bad case is a bad business decision. While

there may be a few bad apples, as in any profession, most lawyers are

careful and cautious about the cases they take. Bad cases can be very

costly. " Frivolous lawsuit " is a code word used by defendants against

claims they don't like. The former Sen. Frist was always calling

vaccine injury cases " frivolous " as if children bringing claims for

lifelong injuries could ever be described as " frivolous. "

And when anyone has a legal problem they want a good aggressive lawyer.

That is the way our system is supposed to work. So before you " condone "

or " condemn " you should evaluate who precisely is tarnishing lawyers

with a bad name. Imus may have trashed lawyers on occasion – why should

they be different from every type of ethnic and professional group –

but when he has a legal problem he hires the best he can afford and

that is what he should do if wants to win. My sense is that Imus is a

fighter and he aims to fight back.

On Apr 21, 2007, at 7:51 PM, wrote:

Normally, I don't condone all the " suit " happy lawyers. But after

realizing that the very same network NBC who decided to fire Imus for

his comments, was the very same network who chose to air those

horrific videos of the VT shooter. Not only did they play them once

but over and over again, which led to other stations playing it over

and over. And they were concerned over what Imus said? Get real! I

say good for Imus, sue em!

[Guest guest]



The PR campaign run against lawyers is often brilliant.

Whoever is running it has most people convinced lawyers are behind the unaffordable malpractice insurance which is running doctors out of town all over the place (where are the all going?

When you get down to the nuts and bolts of it, turns out its not lawsuits at all, its the insurance companies themselves. I won't riff on it here tonight, but as a former hospital employee and future lawyer I have had many debates about --personally I like to bring it up in a quiet OR room just to get the doc fired up

Its a big issue here in rural PA.

These rates have all but killed private practice, there is not one left here in town, its all big hospitals with big insurance contracts.. it all comes back to that.

I wish people would start seeing insurance companies as the evil beings they are --not the trial lawyers.

Re: Re: Business Week article -- Imus Hires Atty.

As a trial lawyer I want to tell you that you should understand that what you read and hear about "suit happy" lawyers is mostly hype and disinformation promulgated by business and corporate interests.

[Guest guest]

,

One of the primary individuals behind the campaign against trial

lawyers and lawsuits is Bernard Marcus, principal benefactor and Board

Member of Autism Speaks.

I have placed the 2003 Forbes article " Buying Justice " in the files

section. There are other published articles that help explain this in

more detail.

Here is an excerpt from " Buying Justice " :

------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------

" The war on the judges began in 2000, when Donohue, who had run the

American Truckers Association and took over the chamber in 1997,

visited Bernard Marcus, the firebrand founder of Home Depot, at the

company's base in Atlanta. The now-retired Marcus stunned Donohue with

his outrage, complaining of getting hit with a new lawsuit every day.

" Every time I sit down with a CEO I'm told their major economic problem

is the trial lawyers, " Marcus told Donohue, adding, " 'I have never seen

such fear and intimidation in my life.' "

" Marcus helped him raise $8 million to target judges in the 2000

elections; that expanded to $20 million in 2001 and to $40 million in

2002. Much of the money went to the Institute for Legal Reform, a

tax-exempt chamber unit that runs this anti-judge " voter education "

effort. Thus, 60% of the money is tax-deductible for the companies that

gave it. "

------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------

Check out the Institute for Legal Reform

http://www.instituteforlegalreform.com/

A lead item on the Bernard Marcus funded Institute for Legal Reform web

site is a press release: PRESS RELEASE: U.S. Chamber Labels Lead Paint

Lawsuit 'Overreach' by Ohio Attorney General

Other press releases from ILR: ILR Calls on House to Help Stop

Lawsuit Abuse; Rein in Activist State Attorneys General;

Chamber Urges Congress to Limit Health Care Lawsuits ------- and many

more

Does a picture begin to emerge?

Bob Krakow

On Apr 21, 2007, at 8:34 PM, M. Webster wrote:

The PR campaign run against lawyers is often brilliant.

Whoever is running it has most people convinced lawyers are behind the

unaffordable malpractice insurance which is running doctors out of town

all over the place (where are the all going?

When you get down to the nuts and bolts of it, turns out its not

lawsuits at all, its the insurance companies themselves.  I won't riff

on it here tonight, but as a former hospital employee and future lawyer

I have had many debates about --personally I like to bring it up in a

quiet OR room just to get the doc fired up

 

Its a big issue here in rural PA.

 

These rates have all but killed private practice, there is not one left

here in town, its all big hospitals with big insurance contracts.. it

all comes back to that.

 

I wish people would start seeing insurance companies as the evil

beings they are --not the trial lawyers.

> Re: Re: Business Week article -- Imus Hires Atty.

>

> As a trial lawyer I want to tell you that you should understand that

> what you read and hear about " suit happy " lawyers is mostly hype and

> disinformation promulgated by business and corporate

> interests.

[Guest guest]

I apologize for my " suit happy " comment. Looks like I don't have

enough info to make such a judgement. I should know better. There

are always two sides!

[Guest guest]

,

Thanks, but no apology necessary. The propaganda against trial lawyers

and lawsuits is part of a well financed campaign that is designed to

poison people's minds against the tort lawsuit system. It now permeates

our culture. Sure, there is valid criticism of some lawyers but the

campaign against lawyers and lawsuits is part of a well orchestrated

and well-funded business campaign. I am just trying to balance the

picture a bit.

Bob

On Apr 21, 2007, at 9:22 PM, wrote:

I apologize for my " suit happy " comment. Looks like I don't have

enough info to make such a judgement. I should know better. There

are always two sides!

[Guest guest]



Absolute. And Good for him.

He indicated he just recently signed a 5-year deal for $10 million/year.

His termination under the contract gets litigated. And settlement follows.

Business Week article -- Imus Hires Atty.

Imus Hires a Legal Heavyweight

The former CBS radio talk-show host has retained a high-powered lawyer. Is a lawsuit pending?

by Jon Fine

Don Imus, the most famous former radio DJ in America, has hired renowned attorney Garbus.

Garbus, a partner in the Manhattan law firm & Gilbert, confirmed to BusinessWeek on Apr. 20 that the deposed radio host has retained his services, but he declined to discuss why. Garbus also declined to discuss whether Imus was plotting any legal action against his former employers at CBS (CBS) and MSNBC (MSFT, GE). A brief sentence on Garbus' personal blog, late Friday afternoon, noted that Garbus "represents Don Imus in a dispute with CBS"—a sentence that was later removed from the blog.

A ferocious litigator who has received numerous media citations as one of America's leading trial lawyers, Garbus has represented clients as diverse as the comic Lenny Bruce, New York City Mayor Bloomberg, Reagan, and pioneering rap group Public Enemy.

Imus, 66, could not be reached for comment.

A CBS spokeswoman declined to comment on the matter. But Imus recently signed a five-year deal with CBS, which was set to pay him just shy of $10 million annually. The company's abrupt dismissal of its high-profile star also has led to speculation in the press about what his departure will mean to the company. A spokesman for MSNBC also declined to comment.

A Quick End to a Long Career

Imus' lengthy radio career imploded in rapid and dramatic fashion after his widely criticized on-air remarks Apr. 4 about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. His characterization of the basketball players was met with public revulsion. In the fiery aftermath, a string of high-profile advertisers—including Procter & Gamble (PG), General Motors (GM), and American Express (AXP)—canceled ad buys. On Apr. 11 MSNBC announced it would stop simulcasting the program, and CBS canceled the show entirely the following day.

Imus' radio career began in 1968. In the 1970s, he launched his enormously successful "Imus in the Morning," show, which was later nationally syndicated. Eventually he carved out a unique niche in the media firmament. The show's humor was often sophomoric, and —to put it as gently as possible—ill-nuanced on matters of race and sexuality. But Imus managed to craft a media venue that became beloved by leading Beltway figures—Presidential candidates were frequent guests—and authors promoting fairly serious books.

The way in which he flitted between those cultural poles, and the influential friends who depended on his show for exposure to a massive national audience, likely helped inoculate him for a long time against accusations of racial insensitivity. In a Web-connected and thoroughly YouTube'd (GOOG) environment, though, Imus' inflammatory remarks were replayed and discussed endlessly, creating a furor that proved impossible for his employers to ignore.

See what's free at AOL.com.