An Examination of Secret Legal Settlements and Their Obstruction of Justice
Location
CSU
Student's Major
Communication Studies
Student's College
Arts and Humanities
Mentor's Name
Daniel Cronn-Mills
Mentor's Department
Communication Studies
Mentor's College
Arts and Humanities
Description
In the summer of 2000, Steve Taerrez's vehicle overturned due to defective tires. Steve survived, but his 3-year-old son did not. At the time, Steve had no idea there was a problem, despite dozens of similar accidents around the country. According to NPR's All Things Considered of Oct. 11, 2002, the earlier accidents were not widely published. A series of secret legal settlements kept the dangers hidden, and led to Nick's death. The Aug. 26,2002 Gannett News Service stated more than 100 lawsuits were Hied against Ford and Firestone for more than 10 years. In almost every case, the suits were settled with secrecy, trying to make sure we would never find out. This poses the question, "if the cases had not been settled secretly, how much money and damage, and how many lives could have been spared?" Secret settlements prevent justice from being served. We should still allow settlements, just not in secret. We must first expose the flaws within the current legal system that allows for secret settlements, and secondly reveal the repercussions of secret settlements. Finally, we need to implement solutions for public safety.
An Examination of Secret Legal Settlements and Their Obstruction of Justice
CSU
In the summer of 2000, Steve Taerrez's vehicle overturned due to defective tires. Steve survived, but his 3-year-old son did not. At the time, Steve had no idea there was a problem, despite dozens of similar accidents around the country. According to NPR's All Things Considered of Oct. 11, 2002, the earlier accidents were not widely published. A series of secret legal settlements kept the dangers hidden, and led to Nick's death. The Aug. 26,2002 Gannett News Service stated more than 100 lawsuits were Hied against Ford and Firestone for more than 10 years. In almost every case, the suits were settled with secrecy, trying to make sure we would never find out. This poses the question, "if the cases had not been settled secretly, how much money and damage, and how many lives could have been spared?" Secret settlements prevent justice from being served. We should still allow settlements, just not in secret. We must first expose the flaws within the current legal system that allows for secret settlements, and secondly reveal the repercussions of secret settlements. Finally, we need to implement solutions for public safety.
