Frivolous Law Suits Here we go again. Johnnie Cochran, Cornell West and others have decided to sue companies for actions involving slavery.
Eight major corporations are expected to be named Tuesday in an unprecedented lawsuit that seeks payback for the companies' historical ties to the slave trade over 137 years ago.
New York slave reparations activist Deadria Farmer-Paellmann is seeking unspecified damages in a suit that names Aetna Inc., CSX Corp. and FleetBoston Financial Corp., among others, as unjustly profiting from the slave trade before the Civil War ended in 1865."We targeted these industries because the plaintiff can show a direct linkage between the plaintiff and her descendants," said attorney Ed Fagen of Fagen and Associates, one of the firms working for Farmer-Paellmann. Farmer-Paellmann would not take any questions, referring all calls to another firm, Thomas, Wareham & Richards.
So, she wants to sue a company for actions it performed legally over 100 years ago? What an interesting precedent. You can hold a company or person liable for legal activities if the law changes in the future. So, by the same logic, if partial birth abortions are outlawed, can we sue those who provided them before the law changed?
This suit, and the copycat suits to follow should be immediately dismissed.
Posted by Rich at March 26, 2002 12:19 AMhey get a life people frivolous lawsuits are crap U NEED A LIFE you give america a bad name
Posted by: billy bob on April 2, 2003 10:51 AMIt is exactly this kind of thing that keeps the prejudice and hatred alive in this day and age? Oppressed African Americans? OF COURSE THEY ARE, but instead of creating more animosity and controversy, focus on bringing yourselves up and out of the oppression, not blaming companies 100 years later for mistakes made in the past.
Posted by: Kara on July 9, 2003 2:43 PMPEOPLE NEED TO GET A LIFE. LAWSUITS OF THIS MAGNITUDE ARE WHAT IS WRONG WITH OUR COUNTRY. YOU KNOW, IF ITS THAT BAD IN THIS COUNTRY, GET OUT!!!!
Posted by: calvin on December 13, 2003 12:21 AMIts people like you guys that are giving America a bad name. Slavery was over 100 years ago. Get over it. It is over. People like you are the reason that the price of insurance is going up where no one can afford it. All you people are doing is making an ass of yourselves.
Posted by: on December 15, 2003 9:44 PMSlavery was over a 100 years ago,but it can't be forgotten.This left us with racism... If people thing this is a cause of insurance getting high, thats not the only reason.If America doesn't need a bad name the people in this country already represent the country. This country is not perfect. We people already know that. This country hides the truth!!!!! This a response for those who commented in this page.
Posted by: Mayra on January 29, 2004 11:33 AMI assume the people on here telling African Americans to get over slavery are white. 1. You get out of the country, the Indians were here first and according to history Africans had been here as well. It's got to be easy for those that have had the advantage all their lives to tell someone how to get over something. I really do admire you for being able to tell a race of people to accept slavery.
Posted by: on February 2, 2004 8:35 AMAnd I admire your courage in leaving an anonymous comment. Nothing like having the courage of your convictions, right?
To correct you on a couple of points, nobody is telling a race to "accept" slavery. What we are saying is that to use a practice which was legal 150 years ago to try and extort money from present day corporations is asinine. (That means stupid, in case the word slipped by you.)
Next, nobody here is telling African Americans to leave the country because some stupid idiots are asking for a hand out.
I'm not sure why you bring up the Indians, unless you're actually referring to Native Americans, who, instead of asking for reparations, are recouping their money in other, more creative and entrepreneurial ways.
Like Bingo. They've got the white man coming down to the reservation and paying good money for worthless pieces of paper. Hell, they're running a better swindle than the Manhattan Island bead deal we jobbed 'em on a couple of centuries back.
More power to them!
Posted by: rich on February 2, 2004 11:33 PMRick. You said it. Game over.
Posted by: Lauren on February 4, 2004 11:37 AM