There was a horse stampede at a parade in Jackson County over the 4^th of July. The stampeding horse injured many people who were present just to watch the parade and enjoy the holiday. On August 11, 2010 the first of what will be several lawsuits was filed at the Jackson County Courthouse. The online story is bringing a barrage of comments under the KCCI news story. Today I wonder aloud if those making comments are for unstated reasons, being disingenuous. Could the purpose of those comments be to poison the jury pool; or, have cruel, insensitive, rude and otherwise uneducated comments on the Internet become the standard for unhappy people who can type on a computer?

The comment section under the KCCI story is interesting, but not because there is any substance to the discussion or anything of value being discussed. There is not much about the issues and too much about what is unimportant. Why I find them of interest is because those commenting lack a basic understanding of our American system of civil justice, or how justice and business intersect with the insurance industry and how recovery of costs associated with insurance subrogation maintain a lower insurance premium that I'm sure most of those commenting pay. People you need to get either an education or a life.

Moverman [Profile]

Member

Aug. 19, 2010 7:03am CST

Moverman

 

Steven Mack and his dingbat wife or you could say Stacey Mack and her dingbat husband should be taken out and horse whipped. It's people like that which make me sick. Course if dingbat # 2 had a name like Steve instead of Steven he would know what he is doing is wrong.

First let's take on the lawyer bashers.

One person refers to Attorney Wallace as an ambulance chaser, but his bio description seems to indicate otherwise. He worked in government and then for the insurance defense side. That’s hardly the makings of a life-long Plaintiffs’ lawyer. He’s probably just a good lawyer who pays attention to his work.  As for naming calling and saying he’s an ambulance chaser, if he were a farmer who smiled after hail destroyed his neighbor’s crop would that make farmers bad farmers and ambulance chasers?  

Krano [Profile]

Member

Aug. 20, 2010 1:09pm CST

Krano

 

Check out the lawyer that these people hired. He is an ambulance chaser of the first order that practices law in the cess-pit of the Chicago legal system.

http://www.moricifiglioli.com/Webpages/Attorneys/CharlesWallace.aspx

The only thing I wonder is did the Macks contact him after looking up his high dollar verdicts online, or did he hear about the tragedy and smell a payday?

Or are they just hopeful that because of their neighbors’ misfortune they will get a higher corn price come harvest season? I’m not suggesting Wallace is smiling about the misfortunate events in Jackson County; I’m pretty sure he’s not. What he's doing is his job. He’s smiling like farmers smile at the prospect of living in a country where capitalists can still earn a decent living. Should we condemn Wallace because he may earn a living because misfortune happened in Jackson County? If so, then should we also condemn the line workers that manufacturer ambulances; shall we condemn the line workers making uniforms for soldiers fighting one of our two wars? Shall we also condemn the hail insurance company CEO who doesn’t rebate profit to the farmer when it doesn’t hail? What about profiteers making millions from selling bombs and bullets to the U.S. Government? Shall we condemn the hardware store owner for selling duct tape and screw drivers used by burglars? Where does it end?

Should we be condemning farmers who profit when their neighbor's corn is destroyed by hail damage?

It’s ridiculous to condemn the Macks, for hiring an out-of-state attorney or for filing a lawsuit for personal injury. Personally I wish they’d hired someone local to Jackson County, but I’m not going to condemn them for filing a lawsuit. I’m sure the health insurance and other insurance companies that may be paying the hospital bills are asking if the Macks intend to file suit. Insurance companies subrogate to those responsible for causing the injury that necessitates medical care and are responsible for creating the need for medical care. How do you think health insurance companies keep your premiums as low as they are? The last time I checked money doesn't grow on trees; not even in Jackson County. You can’t complain about the cost of your health insurance and then condemn those who do what is required under our complex insurance system.

Injured people many times are damned if they do and damned if they don’t file suit.

People who throw word darts at plaintiffs are naive at best or just plain greedy. That kind of reasoning shows a lack of education or bias from profiting by escaping legal responsibility for damage they cause. Yes, lawyers make a living from litigating and yes we do file lawsuits. But that’s no different than doctors making a profit from surgery or emergency room treatment or for that matter from cutting out a cancerous tumor. Shall I condemn my doctor for making a good living while treating sickness in people? Remember folks this is America and we are a capitalist system. Farmers make a profit from hunger, doctors from illness, ambulance drivers from accidents and yes lawyers do too. That's just the way it is.

Russia has a grain shortage, why aren’t Iowa farmers donating the grain in their bins to hungry people in rural Russia?

If you don’t like the way the civil justice system is, then perhaps you’re living in the wrong country. Maybe you should be living under a communist system of government where doctors and lawyers are paid by a corrupt government and are all making set salaries with nothing to gain or to lose from litigation or the practice of medicine. Sort of like farmers tilling the soil under a communist style government. Did the fact lawyers are capitalists escape you in middle school? I’d suggest you visit countries like Argentina, Cuba, China or Venezuela before you advocate for a system akin to communism.  

If you pick on lawyers then perhaps we need to talk about farm welfare programs like the CRP program that pays farmers not to plant. How many farmers are getting paid to sit around and drink coffee while they gripe about the federal deficeit?

In Iowa, plaintiffs have no choice but to sue the responsible person; they do it because it’s the law. And it’s the only way to get at the insurance coverage for acts of negligence. If you want people to not be sued then change the law and allow us to sue their insurance companies directly.

Bottom Line: All I can say is get a life and an education. And travel so you can broaden your mind and your limited understanding of what made America a great country. And know this, American is a great country and not because you live in it; quite the contrary.

• Chicago Law Firm Files Suit for Injured Parade Spectators in Jackson County, Iowa
• Accusers Yell, Ambulance Chaser Lawyers – Damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
• Venue: Jackson County, Iowa
• Date lawsuit filed: August 11, 2010
• Plaintiffs:  Seven Mack, Stacey Mack for Jessica Mack of Bettendorf
• Defendants: Mardell  Steines
• Docket Number: 07491  LACV027013
• Allegations of Negligence: Not known.
• Jury Demanded: Yes
• Counsel for Plaintiffs: Charles Wallace, Chicago, Illinois
• Counsel for Defendants: Unknown.
• Interesting filing: Motion For A Protective Order filed by Hector L. Lareau, the same attorney that filed the Petition.
• See Lawsuit Filed Over July 4 Parade Rampage, KCCI