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A new study released jointly from grassroots legal watchdog group Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch (I-LAW) and the Illinois Civil Justice League (ICJL) shows that Illinois personal injury attorneys invested over $35 million into legislative and judicial candidates over the past 15 years.
The study, titled “Justice for Sale,” details the staggering sums personal injury lawyers have lavished on judges and legislators in an apparent attempt to stack the deck in their favor and block lawsuit reform efforts, the groups say.
“We now have 35 million reasons why Illinois continues to attract lawsuits and personal injury lawyers from all over the country while as a result shedding jobs to neighboring states,” said Travis Akin, Executive Director of Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch. “This new study proves that personal injury lawyers are gaming the system to their advantage by funneling millions of dollars in campaign contributions to Illinois judges, who continue to allow junk lawsuits that have nothing to do with Illinois to move forward here, prompting the question, ‘Is justice for sale in Illinois?’” […]
The study revealed that 98% of the $35 million in campaign contributions personal injury lawyers have spent on judges, legislators and other politicians has gone to Democrats.
That works out to about $4.6 million per general election cycle. Not insignificant, for sure. And in some races, particularly under the radar judicial races, that money can most definitely be the difference between a win and a loss.
* But here is the running total of this year’s campaign contributions to date compiled by the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform…
Total Contributions in 2016: $143,292,789
Whew.
*** UPDATE *** From Illinois Trial Lawyers Association’s Christopher Hurley…
The First Amendment protects the Illinois Civil Justice League’s right to call its tired and misleading 16-page propaganda piece a “study” if it wishes, but that makes it no more a work of credible research than calling a Corolla a Ferrari makes the Toyota a sports car.
The amount of donations made by trial lawyers to support candidates who believe that corporations, insurance companies, Wall Street banks, and extremely wealthy individuals should not be allowed to injure, kill or defraud everyday citizens is dwarfed by the tens of millions spent by big businesses that want to change Illinois’ laws so they avoid accountability when they hurt workers and prey on consumers.
Even if trial lawyers contributed what the Illinois Civil Justice League claims – a point that cannot be taken for granted given the questionable source and possibly suspect methodology – it pales in comparison to what one man, Bruce Rauner has spent on his own campaign and supporting candidates who subscribe to his dangerous agenda of reducing benefits for injured workers and shielding corporations from justice when their actions hurt others or pollute the environment.
Governor Rauner spent more than $63 million in one elections, versus the $35 million that trial lawyers are alleged to have donated to candidates over 15 years; in the 2016 election cycle, Rauner is practically the sole source of Republican funding, having given $16 million, or slightly less than half of the figure ascribed to trial lawyers over a decade and a half. There is simply no comparison to what Rauner, his fellow billionaires and businesses spend on elections compared to trial lawyers.
Ultimately, the objective of the Illinois Civil Justice League and its associated front groups is to unfairly shift the burden of caring for the injured, sick and exploited away from those who caused the wrongs and onto the backs of Illinois’ taxpayers. ICJL is promoting the interests of its funders, who want to boost corporate profits, senior executives’ salaries, and the value of their stock options at the expense of everybody else. They make the mess and leave the rest of us with cleaning bill.
The facts are that lawsuit filings across Illinois are down. The insurance industry’s cost of workers’ compensation is down. Illinois businesses do not cite the state’s court system as a significant factor in their evaluation of our business climate.
The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and its members will continue to stand on the side of taxpayers and for the constitutionally protected rights of Illinoisans to access the courts their tax dollars fund.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 2:50 pm
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So a group that’s funded by large corporations that support Citizens United is criticizing private citizens’ political contributions? While their champion governor (1 person) spent more in the last 2 years than all of these people combined for the last 15 years? Height of irony.
Comment by jade me not Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 2:57 pm
The trial lawyers and unions now have significant competition. What a shame…
Comment by LessAnon? Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 2:59 pm
If the supposition is that a special interest can buy both the judiciary and legislature for $2.3 million a year, then Team Rauner is going to be doing some serious bargain-hunting in the years to come.
Ken Griffin probably has $2.3 million lost in the couch cushions.
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 3:00 pm
Maybe Illinois should move to publicly financed elections.
We’ve got a billionaire throwing millions of dollars into elections so he can “turnaround” the state and fulfill a personal agenda, trial lawyers dumping millions into the fray.
Maybe the best option is just to go with public financing.
There was a failed agenda over in Iowa called VOICE, Voter Owned Iowa Clean Elections that could serve as a template in Illinois — and still be called VOICE, only Voter Owned Illinois Clean Elections.
Comment by Anon Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 3:06 pm
I’ll take half in cash, thanks.
To the Post,
Monetary measurements from 2012 versus the spending now, it’s not even in the same orbit.
$143 million. It’s just mind boggling.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 3:16 pm
So the ITLA membership contributions totaled $35 million.
What were the combined contributions from the JUSTPAC members (IMA, Med Society, retail merchants, insurance industry to name a few)
If both sides are well armed, then there is no advantage, if only one side is, then there is a reason to cry injustice. So lets compare apples to apples? JUSTPAC willing to issue THAT report?
Comment by non-ITLA lawyer Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 3:22 pm
Not all trial lawyers do personal injury.
Comment by burbanite Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 3:27 pm
And the contributions from the Chambers of Commerce, the Manufacturers Associations and the the Professional Associations ( Doctors, CPA’s. Realtors etc. ) amount to what????
And we are not even getting to the Dark Money involved!!!!
Those big bad Trial Lawyers.
Comment by illini Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 3:33 pm
===- burbanite - Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 3:27 pm:
Not all trial lawyers do personal injury.===
You’re absolutely right, but “trial lawyers” is a conservative buzz phrase for the plaintiff’s personal injury lawyers who oppose business-friendly reforms such as limits on non-economic damages and workers comp reform.
Comment by SinkingShip Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 3:41 pm
We must put a stop to trial lawyers bankrolling judicial elections…Only the US Chamber should be bankrolling judicial elections.
Comment by Signal and Noise Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 3:54 pm
And believe me, we trial lawyers know what a Ferrari is. /s
Comment by Keyrock Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 4:07 pm
===Governor Rauner spent more than $63 million in one elections, versus the $35 million that trial lawyers are alleged to have donated to candidates over 15 years; in the 2016 election cycle, Rauner is practically the sole source of Republican funding, having given $16 million, or slightly less than half of the figure ascribed to trial lawyers over a decade and a half. There is simply no comparison to what Rauner, his fellow billionaires and businesses spend on elections compared to trial lawyers.===
Perspective…
Depends on what side of the checkbook you’re on, and Rauner has one huge checkbook, and would love to close anyone else’s checkbook too…
… the Raunerite way.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 4:07 pm
– Not all trial lawyers do personal injury. –
But almost all of ITLA’s members do. For about a third of the award. They call themselves “A statewide organization whose members specialize in representing injured consumers and workers.”
To the post: Look at all these rich special interest groups no one should feel sorry for argue.
Comment by Ron Burgundy Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 4:11 pm
“You’re absolutely right, but “trial lawyers” is a conservative buzz phrase for the plaintiff’s personal injury lawyers.”
It’s also the name they chose for themselves because I presume it sounds better than personal injury lawyers or anything worse they might be called.
Comment by Ron Burgundy Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 4:14 pm
==- Ron Burgundy - Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 4:11 pm:==
Almost all personal injury work is on spec, so that’s why they get a huge chunk of any awards. Wise up.
Comment by Precinct Captain Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 4:20 pm
– Almost all personal injury work is on spec, so that’s why they get a huge chunk of any awards. Wise up. –
Thanks, never would have known that practicing law in this state for 20 years.
Comment by Ron Burgundy Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 4:23 pm