FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: PETER BYLSMA
PHONE: 310-795-8532
October 1, 2005
Los Angeles, CA (October 1, 2005) – Los Angeles Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) today unveiled a new television commercial warning patients that questionable lawsuits, greedy personal injury lawyers and some advertisements designed to scare patients all “game” our healthcare system.
The ad kicks off CALA’s activities surrounding “Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week” (LAAW), which takes place October 3-7, 2005. LAAW is a nationally recognized event wherein groups like CALA strive to inform consumers of the human and financial costs of lawsuit abuse, encourage legislators to enact common-sense reforms that will restore some sanity to our legal system, encourage people to serve on juries and ensure the legal system is used for justice, not greed.
“Our healthcare system is bombarded – and hurt – by lawsuits,” said Los Angeles CALA executive director Peter Bylsma. “Questionable lawsuits and the fear of litigation keep lifesaving medical devices off the market, hamper medical innovation, and discourage the development of critical medications.”
The assault on our healthcare continues through constant personal injury lawyer advertising intended to scare patients off their medicines and into the courthouse, according to David Houston Los Angeles CALA chairman. He pointed to a 2003 survey by Harris Interactive showed that nine out of 10 people would be concerned if they saw an ad involving a medication they take. One in four said they would stop taking the medicine immediately.
“Sensational advertising intended to scare people can have deadly consequences,” said Houston. “That’s why we strongly urge patients to call a doctor, not a lawyer, when it comes to questions about their health.”
The Los Angeles CALA television spot, dubbed “The Game,” depicts a personal injury lawyer as a game show contestant spinning a prize wheel in hopes of striking it rich. With the prize options, “File Junk Lawsuits Against Doctors,” “Run Ads That Scare Patients,” “Make Costs Go Up,” “Rake in Millions,” “Force Medicines Off the Market,” the lawyer can’t lose, and that’s the point, according to Bylsma.
“This new TV commercial is designed to illustrate that in this lawsuit abuse game, it is only some lawyers who win.” he said. “The rest of us pay the price when our health and healthcare suffer.”
Californians know something’s wrong with the way personal injury lawyers are using these “health warnings” to sign-up clients. A 2005 survey by Charlton Research shows that 64 percent of Californians believe these kinds of ads encourage people to sue even if they haven’t been injured. Equally alarming is that according to the survey, 76 percent of Californians believe lawyers who file these healthcare lawsuits are more interested in making money than helping patients.
Houston cited several examples of how lawsuit abuse damages our healthcare system and noted that the threat from lawsuits stems far beyond medical liability issues. “Although recent civil justice reforms in California went far in addressing medical liability lawsuits, some personal injury lawyers have shifted their focus to target all segments of our healthcare system, not just physicians themselves,” he said.
Houston noted this past winter’s shortage of flu vaccines as an example of lawsuit fallout. In 1985, there were six injectable-flu vaccine manufacturers licensed by the Food and Drug Administration. Today, there are only two.
“Researchers abandoned the vaccine business in part because of the threat of lawsuits,” he said.
The development of new AIDS vaccines has been hampered by litigation, and women’s health also took a significant blow in 2002 when Wyeth-Ayerst voluntarily removed Norplant from the market after a deluge of lawsuits based on unsubstantiated claims. Despite the Food and Drug Administration’s insistence on the safety of Norplant, these lawsuits denied millions of women this option for long-term reversible contraception.
Bylsma also pointed to the spate of lawsuits against non-profit hospitals, which provided $23 billion in free healthcare in 2003. These hospitals have been targeted in no fewer than 40 questionable lawsuits, siphoning millions in precious resources away from patient care.
Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse is a nonprofit, grassroots public education organization dedicated to serving as a watchdog over the legal system and those who would seek to abuse it for undeserved gain. Los Angeles CALA currently has supporters throughout in the Southern California region. For more information, visit www.losangelescala.org.
