All Americans Pay for Jackpot Justice vs. Truckers
On highways all over the United States, it’s hard to miss the giant trial lawyer billboards that now abound, many of them specifically targeting truckers. If a driver or a transportation firm acts negligently, of course they should pay fair recompense to legitimate victims.
But a lot of super powerful, scurrilous tort lawyers do not seek justice or fairness. Instead, they chase fortunes with exaggerated or simply made-up claims. As a result, every single American pays a steep price for this manipulated system, from the unaffordable groceries to soaring monthly premiums for insurance.
Today, an elite class of plaintiffs’ attorneys has forged a corrupt model that mocks jurisprudence and turns tragedy into a casino game of jackpot justice. These legal sharks target the livelihoods of the men and women who keep our economy moving…literally.
By attacking and taxing the supply chains of America, frivolous lawsuits and outlandish awards cost every American family thousands of dollars per year every time they shop at any retailer or order any product online.
The numbers are staggering. In 2022, tort costs in America hit $529 billion, equal to 2.1% of GDP, and these legal bills are growing at more than double the rate of inflation. If trends persist, that figure will climb toward $900 billion by 2030. The lawyers who thrive from this perversion of justice inflict a stealth tax on every product and service we consume. In Georgia, the per-household burden is $5,050. In Texas, families pay nearly $4,600 extra annually in lawsuit-related costs. These amounts are not theoretical. In reality, these abuses raise kitchen-table prices for everything from medicines to insurance premiums.
People who have been sued unjustly know just how manipulated certain jurisdictions are in America. The trial lawyers expertly exploit such locales, using “forum shopping” to file claims of inflated phantom damages, and deploy clever psychological tricks to spook juries.
On top of these dishonest practices, unrelated third-party funds increasingly finance litigation directly. Big hedge funds and sophisticated money managers now realize the potential huge profit potential of hijacking our courts. So, these shadowy firms bankroll lawsuits for a cut of the winnings. Believe it or not, this practice is legal, though clearly unethical and super harmful to everyday Americans.
This unholy alliance has put a bullseye on the trucking industry, the backbone of our economy that moves more than 70% of domestic freight. In addition to taxing consumers, these financial predators target middle-class jobs in a vital industry for working-class America. Right now, 8.4 million Americans depend on trucking paychecks.
But nuclear verdicts—awards topping $10 million—explode higher and threaten those livelihoods. Between 2010 and 2018, the average verdict above the $1 million mark in trucking cases jumped from $5 million to $23.5 million. These verdicts ripple throughout the supply chain and even force small operators out of business. Small firms are especially vulnerable, and over 90% of companies run 10 trucks or fewer.
So, we need legislative reform – immediately! In trucking, these nuclear verdicts mean shuttered carriers, lost routes, and pink slips for drivers who did nothing wrong.
Meanwhile, too many crooked lawyers celebrate ludicrous verdicts as they light their cigars with $100 bills and sip on decades-old whiskey. Such charlatan attorneys do not act as advocates for justice, but rather cashiers of chaos. They shop cases to judicial hellholes and block admission of evidence to inflate damages. They bankroll slick ads to recruit plaintiffs and partner with financiers charging usurious rates.
States ranging from Colorado to Georgia lead the way—capping non-economic damages, exposing litigation funding, and restoring balance. Congress must follow suit: pass the FAIR Trucking Act to end forum shopping by giving federal courts jurisdiction over mega-cases. Congress should also impose transparency on third-party financiers and deter frivolous lawsuits.
These plaintiffs lawyers cast themselves as fighters for “the little guy.” In reality, some of the most powerful interests in America align, from the tort lawyers associations to Wall Street. They weaponize the courts and leverage high finance to attack a blue-collar backbone of the nation, the trucking world.
America’s workers and job creators shouldn’t be forced to bankroll courtroom casino roulette. Truckers shouldn’t fear financial ruin every time they roll onto an interstate. And families shouldn’t pay a hidden tort tax that spikes the cost of their household bills.
Justice should drive litigation outcomes, not profits. It’s time to put the brakes on lawsuit abuse and steer this country back toward fairness, affordability, and common sense.
