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We’d like to welcome you to this month’s issue of the Lawyers Stink E-mail Newsletter. We certainly hope that you are doing well and enjoying a lawyer free day (it’s getting tougher and tougher to do these days). Today we’re going to talk about a problem that personal injury lawyers have created a full blown hysteria about – and that problem is toxic mold. For starters, we know that toxic mold, also known as black mold, is a living organism that grows in damp environments. Nothing new here. We’ve all known this for years. All you need to do is check out that disgusting gunk growing on your teenager’s shower stall to know that’s the case. However, what we don’t know about mold has led to a ton of media hype and not surprisingly, a frenzied fury of toxic mold litigation. In the past several years, the alarming increase in toxic mold litigation has many speculating that the volume of toxic mold related litigation may eventually exceed the mind numbing amount of asbestos litigation we have seen in the last fifteen or so years (which, by the way, is still going strong). Personal injury lawyers have quickly jumped onto the toxic mold lawsuit express and are busily suing everyone in sight. A couple of toxic mold lawsuits got the old balling rolling – and now it’s rolling so fast that many lawyers giddily have been calling toxic mold the “next asbestos.” One such toxic mold lawsuit resulted in a $32 million dollar jury award to a Texas family. Then another jury, this one in California, awarded $2.7 million in an alleged toxic mold case – and the personal injury lawyers were off to the races. Personal injury lawyers, helped immeasurably by newspapers routinely fueling the mold hysteria (hey -- headlines and hype sell) and coupled with the lawyers’ own highly paid but albeit dubious experts convincing all sorts of people of the evils of toxic mold, are developing a thriving toxic mold litigation business. Conveniently overlooked, among the firestorm of litigation and media hype that has homeowners and insurers alike wondering what in the blue blazes are they going to do, are scientific facts. So what’s new? Do you think that personal injury lawyers are going to let the facts stand in the way of multimillion dollar paydays? Think again. The judge in the Texas lawsuit refused to consider health related claims because there was no scientific evidence that mold caused the very health problems the plaintiffs alleged in their lawsuit. Say what? So why wasn’t this lawsuit dismissed? If the judge refused to consider health related claims due to lack of proof, then shouldn’t that whole lawsuit been tossed out of court kit and caboodle? You would think so – but that was not the case. Thirty million dollars worth. Oh well. Although the scientific community has found no direct link between mold and any serious health problems, the nation finds itself in the grips of a toxic mold lawsuit explosion. As is the case whenever personal injury ambulance chasing lawyers hit the scene, the costs associated with the industry being targeted are sure to soar through the roof. And that’s exactly what is happening right now as it relates to toxic mold concerns. With home builders and insurance companies centered in the cross hairs of money grubbing lawyers nationwide, the costs of toxic mold related lawsuits and settlements is hitting us all right where it hurts the most – in the old pocketbook. Higher homeowner insurance rates to home owners, increased housing costs to new home buyers and higher rental rates to renters are virtual locks, since the costs associated with each must reflect the litigation costs incurred and to be incurred. But don’t look for the personal injury lawyers to break a sweat over these skyrocketing costs to the general public. Here’s an idea to help get this toxic mold mania under some semblance of control. How about scientifically determining what, if any, adverse health problems are directly attributed to toxic mold. No, I’m not talking about hauling in some quack who’s on the personal injury lawyer’s payroll. We all know this kind of so-called expert testimony is hogwash (it’s really worse than that, but this is a family column here). What we need is irrefutable, unbiased scientific evidence based on facts – not hearsay, innuendo, sensationalism or hysteria. And since mold has been around forever, while we’re at it why not determine what levels of mold is acceptable to the general public as well? While these efforts might shed some truth and shine some light on the intensely inflamed subject, the personal injury lawyers are not about to hold their horses and wait for the evidence that they don’t want anyway. They’re going to keep suing like it’s going out of style (unfortunately, it isn’t) and continue to rack in millions if not billions in legal fees. Until we restore some semblance of sanity to the toxic mold problem, the nation’s home builders, property owners and various insurers will keep having the toxic mold lawsuits brought against them – and these lawsuits will continue to be decided by hysteria and hype and not on the facts. Same old song. Another day, another million dollars for lawyers. You can find out more by about toxic mold and toxic mold litigation by clicking personal injury lawsuits and legal information. In our highly acclaimed book, Wake Up and Smell the Lawyers (click here to read excerpts), we take an inside look at how rampant lawsuit abuse costs each and every person thousands of dollars annually. Until we as a nation muster the fortitude to drum these toxic mold litigating opportunists out of business, these personal injury lawyers will continue to abuse and use the legal system for their own greedy benefit – and we’ll continue to pay for the panic they’ve masterfully created among us. As always, we wish you a lawyer free day! Hey, if you’ve got a goofy lawsuit you’d like to pass on to us, simply click Stupid Lawsuits and Other Funny Stuff and we’ll add yours to our ever growing list of stupid lawsuits. And while you’re at in, why not take a few moments and check out our growing collection of Funny Lawyer Quotes, Jokes and Cartoons? If you haven’t read our highly acclaimed book, Wake Up and Smell the Lawyers, you’re missing out on a load of information about America’s legal system – and a load of laughs as well. You can read excerpts taken from the book by clicking book chapter summaries here. You can sign up for our FREE newsletter by clicking subscribe in the box on the left of the page. Please tell your friends, relatives and business associates about our Lawyers Stink E-mail Newsletter. They can subscribe at our web site: http://www.power-of-attorneys.com (of course you can e-mail this newsletter to them!). If you would like to review past issues of our Lawyers Stink E-mail Newsletter, simply click view back issues of our newsletter. We always respect your privacy and will not share your e-mail address with anyone. If, at any time, you decide that you don’t want to receive this newsletter any more, simply click the unsubscribe link within the body of your newsletter. Thanks for reading this issue of the Lawyers Stink E-mail Newsletter and we’ll see you next month. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions about our newsletter.
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