Again and again in the course of seeking justice for accident victims, the reality of greed and companies putting profits over people reveals itself. See “Profits Over People: Corporate Greed in the News.”
Many of our posts, as well as our case results, spring from the obsession with profits. Companies choose to make money rather than make sure their workers are safe. Manufacturers allow dangerous products to be distributed to unsuspecting consumers. Stores keep known defective goods on shelves until they are forced to recall or remove them.
For example, check out:
- Steel Workers in Indiana and Illinois: Will Falling Profits Mean Rising Danger of Injury to Steel Mill Workers?
- Companies For Profit Not People: Graco is One More Example of Why Plaintiffs Injury Lawyers Are Here
- Chicagos Sacred Heart Hospital Arrests: CEO/Owner, Executive and 4 Doctors Arrested Today in FBI Sting Alleging Things Like Unnecessary Procedures Performed on Patients for Profits Through Insurance Fraud
- Dangerous Toys and Defective Toys: Toy Safety in the 2017 Holiday Season
- Roche and Amylin Pharmaceuticals Caught Not Reporting Bad News and Adverse Reactions to Their Drug Products to the Regulatory Agencies: We Must Remember – Drugs Are Products Sold for Profit. Lots of Profit.
All too often in serious personal injury and wrongful death cases, the story begins with business decisions looking at profit margins and disregarding people.
Worst Corporate Conduct of 2017 Report by AAJ
An annual report has been released confirming this reality. It spotlights specific instances of companies putting profits over people in 2017.
The report is entitled “Worst Corporate Conduct of 2017.” You can read the full report online here.
The greed report is published by the American Association for Justice (AAJ) . The AAJ is an organization of attorneys dedicated to two things: (1) preservation of the constitutional right to trial by jury and (2) insuring that injury victims “have a fair chance to receive justice through the legal system when they are injured by the negligence or misconduct of others—even when it means taking on the most powerful corporations.” Kenneth J. Allen is a patron of the AAJ Leaders Forum and a longstanding member of AAJ.
From Kathleen Nastri, AAJ President:
“The misconduct highlighted in this report is a stark reminder that corporations will stop at nothing to protect their profits – even if that means putting consumers and workers at risk. As this report clearly illustrates, Americans need access to the courts so they can get justice and stand up to the onslaught of misconduct.”
The Nine Bad Actors in AAJ’s Report
The report lists nine examples of greed triumphing over doing the right thing; some of these cases can be tied directly to people being hurt or killed in accidents. Other examples caused harm as well, but in a more indirect manner or in a non-physical way.
The corporations who made the list are:
- Equifax
- FOX News
- Johnson & Johnson
- McKesson
- Monsanto
- Takata
- United Airlines
- Wells Fargo
The Five Where Injury or Death Were Involved
The instances where the likelihood of personal injuries or deaths were put on the back burner in order to maximize revenues:
- United Airlines Forces a Passenger off a Plane, Breaks His Nose, Knocks Out His Teeth (page 4 of the report)
- Monsanto’s Ghostwriting of Scientific Studies [cancer] (page 5 of the report)
- Johnson & Johnson Catalog of Dangerous Products (page 10 of the report)
- Takata’s Cover Up of 70 Million Potentially Lethal Air Bags (page 11 of the report)
- McKesson’s Billion Dollar Profiteering from the Opioid Crisis (page 12 of the report)
We’ve warned about the Takata air bag dangers many times before. For details, read: Were Your Car Crash Injuries (1990 – 2015) Caused By Defective Takata Air Bag? and Air Bag Recalls Just Keep Coming: Is Your Car Dangerous?
The Four Where Other Harm Resulted
The report also identifies top examples of corporate greed where people might be hurt in other ways:
- The Wall Street Push to Repeal the CFPB Rule on Forced Arbitration (page 6 of the report)
- Wells Fargo’s Wrongful Repossession of 25,000 Customers’ Cars (page 7 of the report)
- FOX News’ $50 Million One-Year Bill for Sexual Harassment (page 8 of the report)
- Equifax Profiting from its Massive Data Breach (page 9 of the report)
Fighting Against Corporation Greed in the Courtroom
Sadly, business motivations to maximize their gross revenues will continue to put workers, employees, customers, and clients at risk of serious injury or death in this country. Money is their language, and money may be the only message that causes these companies to change.
Money in the form of fines or penalties imposed by the government is one method that is used to stop these bad acts that hurt people and destroy lives. See, e.g. “Toyota Will Pay $17.35 Million Fine to NHTSA For Recall Violations Regarding Floor Mat Problems in 2010 Lexus Models.”
Another vehicle is in the form of personal injury settlements and jury awards as well as wrongful death cases.
It is through the filing of claims by personal injury victims all too often that justice is realized not only for the victim and their loved ones but also for the public as a whole. Civil lawsuits that hold these wrongdoers accountable for their greed in the public forum of a courtroom are vital weapons for justice in these situations.
If you or a loved one has been hurt or fatally injured, then you may have a claim against the manufacturer, distributor, store or seller, user, driver, or other third party who made the decision to put profits over people and risk someone being hurt in order to make more money. This is the crux of personal injury law in Indiana and Illinois.
Please be aware of the risk of accident or harm due to corporate greed and the vehicles for justice in this country for those who become victims. Let’s be careful out there!
