March 2008 Archives

Thanks to tort reform, arbitrations instead of courtroom hearings are becoming more common. Whether buying a car, getting a credit card, or signing up for cellphone service, consumers increasingly are asked to sign an agreement that requires them to go to arbitration rather than sue in the event of a dispute. Franchisees and vendors for large corporations, too, encounter similar agreements.

Proponents say mandatory arbitration is quicker and cheaper than going to court. But critics contend the process isn't always fair.

Talk isn't always cheap, as International Paper Co. learned recently when it agreed to pay $5.2 million to settle a personal injury suit related, at least in part, to one of its employees' use of a cell phone while driving.

An International Paper employee was on her company-supplied cell phone as she drove west on an interstate near Dublin, Ga., when she rear-ended a vehicle. The collision pushed hit car into the ditch on the right side of the road, overturning it so that the driver's side hit and then slid along the roadway -- with the driver’s arm trapped between the door and the asphalt. Medical complications eventually forced the driver, a widowed mother of four, to have her arm amputated almost up to the shoulder.

The Colorado State Senate has given final approval to a bill that would increase the amount juries can award in some medical malpractice suits.

Nationwide, car crashes are the leading cause of death for youngsters aged ten through eighteen. A study released Monday showed that riding unbuckled with new teen drivers on high-speed roads created the worst case scenario. Other dangerous circumstances include teen drivers who had been drinking alcohol, male teen drivers and driving on weekends, according to the study by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co.