![]() ![]() He continued to require ongoing medical care, including getting an artificial leg, a wheelchair and a knee brace for his good leg. He was physically unable to work, and constantly pestered by collection agents. His insurance policy only partially covered his medical expenses from the accident, leaving him with over $1,500 in unpaid bills. Bigbee tried to flee, but the door was stuck, locking him inside.Īs a janitor, Bigbee’s annual salary was only $7,374.57. Several other people in the area ran away when they saw the car out of control and heading towards the booth. The accident, which took place 14 years before Reagan’s speech, caused severe injuries to Bigbee, requiring amputation of his leg and permanently affecting his ability to work. The name of the man in the phone booth was Charles Bigbee, a custodian for the city of Los Angeles. In Reagan’s words, this was “looney” and an example of how the tort system was “out of control.” Although Reagan did not technically lie, he did misleadingly leave out important details about the case. But you might be startled to hear whom he sued: the telephone company and associated firms.” Now it’s no surprise that the injured man sued. An alleged drunk driver careened down the street, lost control of her car, and crashed into the phone booth. “In California, a man was using a public telephone booth to place a call. Reagan’s Speechĭuring his speech, Reagan told the story of a California man who was in a phone booth when a drunk driver smashed into him, sending him to the hospital: ![]() But more than that, a few excerpts from his speech became the template for the organization’s public relations strategy for the next two decades. Having the endorsement of the most powerful man in the world was a major boost for ATRA. The organization quickly established itself as lobbyist juggernaut when President Ronald Reagan delivered a speech at one of their meetings shortly after their formation. Their goals included capping punitive damages, restricting non-economic damages and abolishing joint and several liability, which would create a lopsided system heavily weighted in favor of defendants. In 1986, the American Tort Reform Association was formed by corporations, large businesses and professional societies looking to shield themselves from accountability in the civil justice system. The perception that our courts are inundated with “frivolous lawsuits” probably reached its peak in the mid 1990’s, but the foundation for such perception was actually formed a decade earlier. ![]()
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