Litigation dollars could have funded sheriffs, police officers, firefighters

(Sacramento, CA) – In a report issued by California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse entitled The Fiscal Impact of Lawsuit Abuse on California’s Largest Counties and Cities, Sacramento taxpayers were shown to have spent nearly $20 million on lawsuit settlements and awards in addition to paying for outside counsel. This has been a bonanza for personal injury lawyers and professional plaintiffs who seem to view taxpayers as their next target for extortion. The obvious result is fewer dollars available for critical services such as first responders, law enforcement, parks and libraries.

“Local governments are often the subject of frivolous or abusive lawsuits – lawsuits filed only for greed or publicity. And, as a result, it is the taxpayers who pay and the community who suffers,” said Diann Rogers, President of Central California Citizens Against Lawsuits Abuse.

“Sacramentans don’t pay taxes with the understanding that these monies are used to defend against unwarranted or unscrupulous lawsuits. Our legal system should not be a tool for those who would seek to abuse it for undeserved gain,” stated Rogers. “These funds should be allocated to the true needs of our community – such as sheriffs deputies, police officers, firefighters – fixing potholes, cleaning up parks, after-school programs. Instead, personal injury lawyers and their unprincipled clients are lining their pockets with our money.”

According to recent budget documents, the amount Sacramento taxpayers spent on litigation costs could provide funds for:
• More than triple the $1.7 million spent to add positions to staff an interim prisoner housing facility at Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center;
• Installation of in-car cameras in Sacramento County squad cars to increase officer safety and improve community understanding of law enforcement activities six times over;
• Twenty-three firefighters at an average annual cost of $115,820; or
• More than 13 sworn police officers, at an average annual cost of $113,500 per officer.

The information compiled in the report came from public information requests of the localities.

“Citizens of the Sacramento area deserve to know how their tax dollars are spent,” Rogers said. “Central California CALA (CCCALA) is calling for full disclosure, more public oversight and adoption of aggressive risk management procedures to protect our local government coffers from lawsuit abuse and those who perpetuate such.”

To that end, a handful of government officials throughout the area have taken note of the waste caused by frivolous lawsuits. In particular,

“Sacramento City Attorney Eileen Teichert must be commended for her support of policies to reduce the effect lawsuit abuse has on our city budget,” Rogers said.

The report is available at www.cala.com/docs/LitigationCosts.pdf

Central California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse is a nonprofit, grassroots public education organization dedicated to serving as a watchdog over the legal system and those who would seek to abuse it for undeserved gain.  Central California CALA currently has over 4,000 supporters throughout the Sacramento region and Central Valley.  For more information, visit www.StopBadLawsuits.com