ATRA ASKS: WHY WON'T CONGRESS SCRUTINIZE 'CRIMINAL LAWYERS'?

Crimes of Lerach, Scruggs & Weiss Akin to Those of Fallen Corporate Execs

Washington, DC, March 20, 2008 -- American Tort Reform Association director of communications Darren McKinney today reacted to news that Melvyn Weiss has now joined two other prominent plaintiffs’ attorneys – his former law partner William Lerach and Mississippi legend Richard “Dickie” Scruggs – in pleading guilty to a federal charge of conspiracy.

“These guys have given a whole new meaning to the term ‘criminal lawyers,’” McKinney deadpanned. “Yet the trial lawyers’ association to which they’ve provided so much financial support over the years wants to ignore their crimes as it tries to keep the media exclusively transfixed on the alleged shortcomings of wealth- and job-creating corporations and businesses.

“If the national trial lawyers’ association wants to be taken seriously when it condemns the actions of big, bad corporate executives, it ought to be a little more vocal when their own guys cop to felonies for subverting our civil justice system,” McKinney continued. “Come to think of it, they haven’t had much to say about well-documented asbestos and silica litigation scams or the phony medical Web sites run by parasitic ambulance chasers, either.

“And various members of Congress – particularly those who are heavily dependent on campaign contributions from the plaintiffs’ bar – have been conspicuously silent, too,” McKinney noted. “There’s never a shortage of rhetorical outrage, hastily scheduled show hearings and promptly proposed reform legislation on Capitol Hill whenever executives of energy, pharmaceutical or insurance companies are accused of wrongdoing.

“But when it comes to rich, powerful plaintiffs’ lawyers committing crimes in order to rig our courts and make themselves even richer, Congress apparently sees no reason to get involved. That should make it clear that trial lawyers comprise one of Washington’s most powerful special interests, and the trial lawyers association should just own up to that obvious fact once and for all.

“The crimes of Bill Lerach, Dickie Scruggs and Mel Weiss aren’t qualitatively different than the crimes of Dennis Kozlowski, Jeff Skilling or the late Ken Lay. So why aren’t the chairmen of the House and Senate judiciary committees and other congressional leaders scrambling to cosponsor tort reform legislation?” McKinney asked.

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The American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) is the only national organization dedicated exclusively to tort and liability reform through public education and the enactment of legislation. ATRA's membership includes non profits, small and large companies, as well as state and national trade, business, and professional associations.