Is the United States of America Overly Litigious

Sep 292014

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I believe that currently in The United States of America we live in such a litigious society, because never before has a generation of our citizens known more about the laws and legal system that govern our nation. The age old adage, knowledge is power, sums it up best. However, with increased power comes increased abuse of that power and that makes the phrase, such a litigious society, take on the connotation of an overly litigious society. A litigious society is not an inherent evil in our lives, because the ability to litigate is a fundamental tenant of our being. However, when the fundamentals give way to the frivolous, great damage is done to the perception of our legal system. I believe litigation is an important aspect in our lives. However, litigation that occurs without merit or cause is, at best an utter waste of time and at worst an abuse of our legal system of the worst kind.

I also believe that at times the citizens of The United States of America are overly litigious. However, I feel it is an over generalization when people present our society as a money hungry group of people that will file frivolous and unnecessary lawsuits with each and every opportunity that presents itself. Yes, it is true that some people sue each over trivial matters. Celebrities, athletes and other wealthy people file for divorces; with their soon to be ex-spouses claiming that that they need millions of dollars or some other exorbitant amount of money to maintain their luxurious lifestyles. It is also true that in our society there are lazy people who want to sit back and have everything handed to them, even if it comes by way of an outlandish lawsuit. However, there are also many people that are sane, decent and civil to each other. They demonstrate the art of fair negotiation and compromise. They work hard for an honest living. Some make big bucks. Some occupy the shrinking middle class. Sadly, some are poor.

The point is this. The United State of America is a society based on a set of laws. The laws are there to afford each of us protections. Lawsuits are available should compromise and negotiation fail and also afford rightful remedy to those that are wronged. It takes all kinds and our nation is full of all kinds. I don’t think it fair to categorize the majority of our people as lazy folks clinging to all their toys of technology, just waiting for a potential lawsuit to fall into their laps so they can sue and rake in millions, retire and live the good old life.

Originally published on Associated Content / Yahoo Contributor Network (YCN) on May 18, 2009