Why lawsuit abuse is costly to all

PHOTO: MICHAEL BURRELL / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS / GETTY IMAGES

When my parents opened the doors of their small pest control business in San Antonio, Texas, just after World War II, they focused on their customers. They grew the company into a group of regional branches serving Texans across the state. ABC Home & Commercial Services remains family-owned and carries on my parents’ commitment to service.

Much has changed since I moved to Austin, Texas, in 1983 to expand our business here. The proliferation of abusive lawsuits is perhaps the most costly and egregious.

While lawsuit abuse wasn’t top of mind for Mom and Dad, it’s an unfortunate and costly reality for many small business owners today. There’s plenty to keep small business owners awake at night; unscrupulous personal injury lawyers shouldn’t be one of them.

Opportunities are everywhere

Delivering pest control, landscaping, air conditioning, plumbing and other services to residential and commercial customers means our employees can be found on city streets and highways daily. Yet, the nature of our work and fleets of vehicles means some personal injury lawyers see an opportunity to line their wallets. Running relentless advertising campaigns on TV, radio, websites and billboards, these personal injury lawyers promote get-rich-quick schemes to drivers involved in any accident, no matter how minor or who’s at fault. Coupled with misleading litigation tactics, this lawsuit business model is lucrative and widespread, making millions for law firms — money that is ultimately paid by our employees and customers, too.

We all pay for the cost of frivolous or even fraudulent lawsuits, regardless of whether we’re personally involved in a lawsuit. Lawsuit abuse can squelch a business’ plans for expansion, new employees or pay raises. Consumers also pay more for products and services, including liability insurance.

Safety has always been our top priority at ABC Home & Commercial Services. We are thorough in our training and use innovative technology to ensure our employees — themselves each a participant in our profit-sharing program — are operating safely and responsibly. If we’re responsible for someone’s injury, we have no problem paying for damages. We want to be known as a responsible corporate citizen and a good neighbor, and we are.

But that’s not what this is about. This is about a personal injury lawyer-fueled lawsuit that bets on forcing good, honest businesses to pay out massive settlements or risk a costly trial and verdict that could close the business’ doors — regardless of whether it has done anything wrong.

Fixing the problem

As a longtime Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse supporter and a member of Texas’ Lone Star Economic Alliance, I don’t stand alone. Texas employers have joined together to advocate for fairness and transparency in the legal system. We want our state legislature to address this problem.

Across the country, our consumer protection and labor laws desperately need reforms to limit the ability of unscrupulous personal injury lawyers to shake down small businesses and make a windfall. We must:

• Address artificially inflated medical bills that feed unreasonable court awards, known as “nuclear verdicts.”
• Provide medical bill transparency so patients and juries know the actual cost of medical services.
• Implement a fair and consistent way to award non-economic damages, which are intangible and subjective.

Access to courts for legitimate lawsuits must be preserved, but today’s get-rich-quick lawsuit environment must be stopped. Small business owners should be focused on jobs and providing services to help their communities thrive, not on lawsuits that drive up costs for everyone.

It’s time for lawmakers to agree and act.

<p>The post Why lawsuit abuse is costly to all first appeared on Pest Management Professional.</p>

from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2025/03/12/why-lawsuit-abuse-is-costly-to-all/
Sacramento CA