The Foundation for Fair Civil Justice recently announced the winners of the 12th Annual “Wacky Warning Label” Contest. This year’s winning label, submitted by Steve Shiflett of Hampton, Georgia, reads, “Not for use on moving vehicle” and comes from a portable toilet seat for outdoorsman, called “The Off-Road Commode.”
“Once a year, millions of people around the world get a collective laugh from our winners,” said Bob Dorigo Jones, contest creator and president of Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch (M-LAW). “The truth is, this is no laughing matter. Outrageous warning labels confirm that the American civil justice system is out of whack! In today’s economy, Wacky Warning Labels demonstrate the tax we all pay for lawsuit abuse.”
According to the Pacific Research Institute, the total annual cost of the U.S. tort system is about $865 billion, and there is “growing evidence that U.S. tort costs are far greater than other countries’ costs and that much of the difference is due to excessive litigation and lawsuit abuse.”
“Legal reform is urgently needed to help propel America’s economic recovery," says Dorigo Jones. "Companies need to be focusing on developing new products and jobs, not on defending themselves against frivolous lawsuits.”
Recently, Dorigo Jones joined CFIF’s Renee Giachino to discuss the winners in this year’s “Wacky Warning Label” Contest, the confirmation of Harvard law professor Cass Sunstein as White House regulatory czar, and the need for comprehensive liability reform.
What follows is the interview originally heard on "Your Turn - Meeting Nonsense With Commonsense" on WEBY 1330 AM, Northwest Florida's talk radio…[Listen to the interview here.]