NCPA


Policy Issues

NCPA Publications

Both Sides

Editorial Opinions

Audio/Visual


NATIONAL CENTER FOR POLICY ANALYSIS
HOME / DONATE / ONE LEVEL UP / ABOUT NCPA / CONTACT US
Sept. 11 Reduced 2001 Jury Awards
Daily Policy Digest

Legal Issues / Lawsuits and Tort Reform

Monday, January 07, 2002
Legal experts have found an inescapable link between the Sept. 11 attacks and the outcome of jury awards last year. A study just published by Lawyers Weekly USA found that many proceedings were postponed after the attacks. Experts suggest this was because lawyers feared the horror of the attacks would leave jurors less sympathetic to injuries suffered by many plaintiffs.

 Among the findings:
  • The total amount in the nation's 10 largest jury awards rose to $5.7 billion last year.
  • But last year's awards were skewed by two verdicts that totaled over $4 billion -- one against a cigarette company and another against an industrial polluter.
  • The numbers in the remaining cases -- mostly product liability and medical malpractice claims -- showed a downward trend.
  • The median amount of the 10 largest awards fell to $186 million -- a drop of 31 percent from 2000.
The median amount awarded in punitive damages plummeted to $47.5 million from $150 million the previous year. Critics of large jury awards praise the reductions.

 Punitive damages made up more than 85 percent of the jury awards in the top 10 list.

 Source: Richard Willing, "Study: Sept. 11 Influenced Jury Awards," USA Today, January 7, 2002.

For more on Lawsuits and Tort Reform
http://www.ncpa.org/iss/leg/
12770 Coit Rd., Suite 800 - Dallas, TX 75251-1339 - 972/386-6272 - Fax 972/386-0924
601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Suite 900 South Building - Washington, DC 20004 - 202/220-3082 - Fax 202/220-3096
Copyright © 2002 National Center for Policy Analysis - All rights reserved.