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Verdicts & Settlements

Tort Reform Red Flag Raised in Alabama?

Posted Oct 24, 2007, 10:28 am CST
By Molly McDonough

A recent $50 million jury verdict in the case of a man burned to death when his water heater exploded will only fuel tort-reform efforts in Alabama, according to an editorial.

The Alabama Press-Register opinion piece acknowledges that jurors must have felt sympathy for the family of Richard Krantz. But, it concluded that the high dollar amount will add to the state's reputation as the "Wild West of civil justice."

Editorial writers blame a national trend toward "jackpot justice," with Alabama blazing the trail "in this troubling new world of litigation."

The plaintiffs alleged a faulty valve on the natural gas-fueled water heater caused the fatal explosion, according to the Assoicated Press.

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