Dear Boss,
I need a vacation. I toil all day in my sunless cubical, working for the “man.” And I’m thinking Hawaii. It’s warm, it’s tropical and I deserve to watch the sunset while I drink rum drinks out of a coconut. But there is no way I can afford to go there – not on my salary.
However, I was thinking, if we created a crisis, something that people can really get behind, I could swoop in and fix it. Right? Medical malpractice crises have been popular in other states, so why not create one in Hawaii? Then I could go and round up a couple of bogus stories from doctors about how they can’t practice anymore because of the cost of medical malpractice, promote that idea in the media, and get the legislature to introduce a couple of bills that will cap damages.
No one will notice that we’ve taken away their access to the civil justice system unless they have been injured by medical malpractice. Then it will be too late! Just look at this story from a November 2007 Boston Globe article that took a look at what happened after Texas instituted medical malpractice caps:
"It's very frustrating," said Danny Lara, a registered nurse who had tears in his eyes as he retold the story. "Here we have what we believe is blatant malpractice, but no law firm will touch it. It's beyond me - doctors can literally get away with murder."
He fingered through a sheath of documents, including rejection letters and e-mails from lawyers. The family now has little hope to file a lawsuit. The two-year statute of limitations runs out next month.
So, what do you think? Kill two birds with one stone? I get to go to Hawaii on the corporate dime and we weaken the civil justice system in the state while we’re at it?
Sincerely yours,
Tort “Reform”