Free Republic

HARTFORD -- Susan Schaefer LaRose quit her sales job in May after 18 years with pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co., frustrated by long work weeks that frequently encroached on weekends and vacations. And then she sued. Her lawsuit, part of a series of class action claims filed last month against nine major drug companies, seeks tens of millions of dollars in back pay for the thousands of drug company salespeople across the country. "I was told when I started with Eli Lilly that I was exempt from overtime," said Schaefer LaRose, a 50-year-old mother of two from Chittenango, N.Y.,...

$17 million verdict has many concerned Worries arise about impact on churches fearful of liability By DERRICK NUNNALLY dnunnally@journalsentinel.com Posted: Feb. 23, 2005 Last week's jury verdict that said the Archdiocese of Milwaukee should pay $17 million to the 84-year-old victim of a car wreck caused by a parish group volunteer has some observers worried about the decision's impact on religious institutions fearful of liability issues. That one parishioner's accident could have such an economic consequence for an entire archdiocese alarmed Philip K. Howard, the New York-based chairman of Common Good, a group critical of what he has called "America's...

<p>America's lawsuit culture is transforming our society, but there's been little focus on why litigation spun out of control over the last 30 years. People never used to sue for hot coffee spills, or for getting fat. There was a time, in the 1970s, when a million-dollar verdict for an accident was headline news. Now people sue for billions. What changed?</p>