Source: Last Week Tonight S13E21
Knuckle tats
B O R N T O S U E
American’s may seem litigious, but many of our legal protections require it. For example, the American Disabilities Act has no enforcement mechanism beyond suing non-compliant businesses. In some states, if you have a homeowners claim, you don’t sue the insurance company, but the individual. This leads to juicy headlines like “Woman sues 6yo nephew over a trip and fall”.
I’ve also heard that a lot of cases are painted as frivolous as a sort of propaganda to make people hesitant to rightfully sue businesses.
The woman who spilled McDonald’s coffee in her lap comes to mind. She was ridiculed for suing because her coffee was hot. The real issue was that she received serious burns because the coffee was far hotter than it should be served (her medical report, from what I gather, included the term “fused labia”). Iirc she wasn’t even seeking damages outside of having her medical bills paid.
There’s no ombudsman?
A what?
ombudsperson is a government official who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a significant degree of independence).