More data piles in refuting the bald claims of ATLA and “consumer” advocates that medical malpractice reform is somehow an insurance company conspiracy that doesn’t reduce rates. (See Mar. 22 and Jul. 29, 2003). In an actuarial study using the National Practitioner Data Bank, we find, among other interesting things, that (1) dollars paid in malpractice claims went up 80% between 1992 and 2001, even though the number of claims only went up less than 20% in the same period; and (2) malpractice premiums are higher in states without noneconomic damages caps compared to those in states with noneconomic damages caps. (Richard S. Blondi and Arthur Gurevitch, “Noneconomic Damage Caps Help Reduce Malpractice Insurance Premiums”, Contingencies, Nov.-Dec. 2003). Contingencies is the journal of the American Academy of Actuaries.
Chronicling the high cost of our legal system
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Point of Law- Around the web, November 23Tide turning against drug-pricing suits? Glaxo SmithKline beats back Kentucky case [Longstreth, AmLaw Daily] Court in Australia deems litigation funding pact improper as "unregistered managed investment scheme" [New Lawyer] Should docs be careful what they ask for? Michelle Mello... […]Walter Olson
- Latest Labaton pension fund controversy: MissouriAn "uproar" has broken out over the state employee pension fund's prospective hiring of lawyers to file securities suits. "At least six firms from around the country have been courting the board of the Missouri State Employees Retirement System, or... […]Walter Olson
- In Congress, promoting the return of notice pleadingsRep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) has introduced H.R. 4115, the Open Access to Courts Act of 2009, to restore notice pleadings, i.e., the status quo ante Twombly and Iqbal. Nadler's news release announced the bill, "Nadler, Johnson, and Conyers Introduce Bill... […]Carter Wood
- "'Sick Leave' Mandates We Can Ill Afford"Diana Furchtgott-Roth warns of another labor-backed bill gathering steam in Congress. Earlier here and here.... […]Walter Olson
- "Jury rejects prosecutor's rigged game"Our own Marie Gryphon on the Bear Stearns acquittals.... […]Walter Olson
- Around the web, November 23
- Volokh
- Puffery PlaintiffsThe NYT reports that more companies are challenging claims made in competitors’ ads. Companies that were once content to fight in grocery-store aisles and on television commercials are now choosing a different route — filing lawsuits and other formal grievances challenging their competitors’ claims. Longtime foes like Pantene and Dove, Science Diet and […]Jonathan H. Adler
- WaPo on Climate E-mails (and More)The Washington Post covers the disclosure of e-mails from the University of East Anglia Climate Research Unit — e-mails that appear to have been subject to an FOI request and that were either hacked by an outsider or stolen and released by an insider. In one e-mail, the center’s director, Phil Jones, writes Pennsylvania State University’s [...] […]Jonathan H. Adler
- Thoughts on Sarah Palin and Going RogueLike Ilya, I’ve been reading Sarah Palin’s book and following her media appearances. It’s difficult to say anything original about a polarizing figure such as Palin. And no matter what you say, around half of the VC readership will be convinced you are a complete idiot (which half depending on which side you [...] […]Orin Kerr
- Reading Kindle Books on the Ipod TouchI got tired of hauling so many books around on plane flights, and decided to try downloading some Kindle books to my Ipod Touch. I don’t yet have a Kindle, although apparently if I am very, very good ... I know that Glenn Reynolds prefers the Ipod to read Kindle over the Kindle, but then [...] […]Kenneth Anderson
- Spelling Out Numbers vs. Writing Them Using DigitsAny thoughts on what the rule should be here? My sense is that numbers written using digits are much easier to quickly absorb, so I tend to write them that way whenever they refer to something that people might want to use in calculations or comparisons. I’d say, for instance, that “These books [...] […]Eugene Volokh
- Puffery Plaintiffs
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The value of a good woman
From the Onion:
I was just working my way out of the denial phase of the grieving process when the phone rang. Mr. George Tift from State Farm Insurance had a
Bob Herbert’s “Malpractice Myths”
“This is all about greed,” Bob Herbert explains, talking about medical malpractice. (”Malpractice Myths”, NY Times, Jun. 21). Very few would disagree with this sentence standing by itself. But Herbert, without any obvious irony, is ascribing this sin t…
Does tort reform affect insurance rates? II
More data piles in refuting the bald claims of ATLA and “consumer” advocates that medical malpractice reform is somehow an insurance company conspiracy that doesn’t reduce rates. (See Mar. 22 and Jul. 29, 2003). In an actuarial study using the…
The Times on med-mal, II: effect of caps
On Tuesday, readers will recall, the New York Times business section ran an article entitled “Behind Those Medical Malpractice Rates” under the byline of Joseph B. Treaster and Joel Brinkley. Yesterday I criticized at length the article’s assertions th…
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