The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "torts" ...
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OHSU: Shielded by the Law
KATU examines the tort liability cap grated to Oregon Health and Science University, "one of the largest hospitals in Oregon." The cap "limits all malpractices awards to $200,000," which results in malpractice attorneys not taking on cases against the hospital.
Tags: health care; patients; malpractice; law; lawyer; torts; liability; medical malpractice; doctors; hospitals; Oregon; Oregon Health and Science University
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Judge Unseals Malpractice Statements
These reporters began their intensive coverage of medical malpractice lawsuits in 2003, with the series "Prescription for Peril." Most of the reporting was done through interviews and digging up documents hidden away in old county court houses. In 2004, the reporters decided to take their investigation one step further by filing open records requests for all public records regarding medical malpractice payments. These stories chronicle the fight over the records and then analyze the data to show that medical malpractice payments have, in fact, been dropping.
Tags: medical malpractice; doctor; torte reform; frivolous lawsuits
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Putting the Squeeze on Juries: Can one imperious judge do a better job of deciding cases than 12 angry men - or women? Some think so. Others believe that view had landed the jury system in serious trouble.
According to the article, the American trial by jury system has become outdated, and "tort reform laws, court decisions and binding arbitration have all chipped away at the power of juries." Story also includes a map of the United States which shows how verdicts vary by state.
Tags: juries; jury; law; legal system; tort reform laws; court; trial; judge; lawyers; court decisions; binding arbitration; changes; constitution; justice system; jury system
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A Twist in Torts
Car companies are digging in against frivolous lawsuits regarding air bags. Since the government requires that the bags inflate in a fraction of a second, they can possibly injure people as well as save lives. The percentage of deaths or serious injury due to air bags is small compared to the number currently in use. Instead of settling quickly in lawsuits, the car companies are saying that, "cost is no object in these cases."
Tags: torts; tort reform; lawsuits; air bags; autos; cars; automobiles; vehicles; Chrysler; dodge; juries; General Motors; Ford; liability; law; legal
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A Colombian village caught in a crossfire
The LA Times investigates a 1998 controversial bombing of a Colombian village, in which 18 people were killed. The report finds that U.S. military help played a role in the tragedy. The story refutes the Colombian military's version that the bombing was actually a premature detonation of a car bomb planted by rebels, and finds the prosecutors' charge -- that a Colombian air force helicopter actually dropped the bomb -- to be more credible. Other findings are that U.S. Customs planes, tracking a plane supposedly filled with drugs, helped initiate the bombing; two American companies provided supplies and help to the Colombian military on the day of the operation; the bombing site was under aerial surveillance of a U.S. Coast Guard officer.
Tags: FOI; FBI; human rights; drug war; military aid; Alien Tort Claims Act
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Mass Tort Makeover?
"After years of litigation and billions of dollars in payments, the lessons from class action lawsuits over silicone breast implants may be just what critics need to make their case for reform," reports the ABA journal.
Tags: breast implants; surgery; mass tort; lawsuits; litigation; health care
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A Changing Landscape; Learning Curve; Painful Decisions; Public Discontent
An ABA four-story package examines the new developments in tort law, and how they have influenced the work of civil justice institutions. The first story looks at the battles over tort legislation, and describes how different states have implemented the changes. The report quotes a 1993 study by the Coalition for Consumer Rights, which has indicated that states with the lowest per capita expenditures on medical care are more likely to have enacted the fewest tort reforms overall. The second story reveals that lawyers are changing their litigation strategies in response to the new tort law. The third story reports on the risks that await both plaintiff and defense lawyers. The fourth story features lawyers' opinions expressed during a round table debate on tort law. "The debate goes beyond tort law, it's about lawyers," the magazine finds.
Tags: American Tort Reform Association; lobbying; lobbyists; product liability; medical malpractice; punitive damages; juries; jury awards; civil justice; courts; lawyers
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RAGE
A father beats his son's hockey coach to death; a man shoots seven co-workers because his paycheck was being garnished; a mother of three is shot to death by another woman in a traffic argument; an airline worker has permanent neck injury after being thrown by a passenger (whom he was preventing from retrieving his 2-year-old daughter who had run down the jetway). The ABA journal reports on third party-liability -- such as airlines, workplaces and sporting leagues -- for violent acts. Tort lawyers predict "third-party liability for injuries caused by violent acts of rage will continue to evolve over the next several years," the journal reports.
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The Litigation Machine
Business Week investigates on "the new world of assembly-line litigation" in which how-to guides can be purchased for less than $200 and include "almost everything a lawyer needs to get a case started." In addition, organizations such as the Attorneys Information Exchange Group and ATLA "serve as warehouses that help plaintiff's attorneys get the internal corporate documents they need to win over a judge and jury." The result: companies are struggling to defend themselves and there is an unequal balance of power in the court system. Reporter Mike France reports on the secrets of tort lawyers and the victims they are taking down.
Tags: lawyers; plaintiffs; companies; courts; Attorneys Information Exchange Group; lawsuits; Complex Litigation Committee
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Tort Reform: Are damage awards outrageous or justified?
The Gazette examines every civil jury verdict reached in West Virginia's busiest court district for the last five years. The advocates maintain that "runaway juries" and "jackpot justice" create outrageous damage awards.
Tags: caseload; tort reform; court records