It is often said — but only by those who scream for tort “reform” — that the reason the laws on personal injury and personal accountability don’t change is because of all the money that trial lawyers pay to lobbyists and to political campaigns.
Well it seems that, when it comes to lobbying in Albany, we trial lawyers don’t even crack the top 10 according to this just-released report by the New York Joint Commission on Public Ethics (download report). But, look who does make the top 10:
And if you are wondering about the top dog, the Committee to Save New York, it is a business group of mostly real estate developers.
One day I’d love to see a study of how much the Fortune 500 companies donate to campaigns and compare that to donations by consumer activists.
Something to think about.
Oh yeah, we trial lawyers spent just 355K for lobbying according to the report:
Those are some big numbers. And you were right, I was wondering about the “committee to save new york, as those named conglomerates always hide something interesting.
There is a big reason there is not more change in these laws: people like to sue other people, and don’t like restrictions on their ability to sue. I’m sure there is more to it than that, but I’d say that is likely the biggest reason.
There is a big reason there is not more change in these laws: people like to sue other people, and don’t like restrictions on their ability to sue.
Well, restrictions already exist.
But that wasn’t exactly the point of this post. It is about the vast amounts spent by big business and healthcare as opposed to consumer advocates.