Bradley: Justice for sale in State Farm case?
- WJBC - The Voice of Central Illinois:
"In 2008, “The Appeal,” a novel by John Grisham, was published. The book marked Grisham’s return to writing legal dramas after a several-year hiatus.
The book centers on a CEO’s efforts to overturn a multi-million jury verdict against his company. Ultimately, the CEO, along with other key players, develops a strategy to achieve his goal of not having to pay out millions of dollars. The strategy is to recruit a candidate to run for a state supreme court seat, and then manage and fund his campaign. Once on the court, then the sitting justice can cast the deciding vote to reverse the jury verdict."
- WJBC - The Voice of Central Illinois:
"In 2008, “The Appeal,” a novel by John Grisham, was published. The book marked Grisham’s return to writing legal dramas after a several-year hiatus.
The book centers on a CEO’s efforts to overturn a multi-million jury verdict against his company. Ultimately, the CEO, along with other key players, develops a strategy to achieve his goal of not having to pay out millions of dollars. The strategy is to recruit a candidate to run for a state supreme court seat, and then manage and fund his campaign. Once on the court, then the sitting justice can cast the deciding vote to reverse the jury verdict."
In 2008, “The Appeal,” a novel by John Grisham, was published. The book marked Grisham’s return to writing legal dramas after a several-year hiatus.
The chilling implication of the novel is that the company is national in scope having offices in almost every state, and could be conducting this activity in many state judicial elections in an effort to avoid costly jury verdicts. Some, including myself, believe that this novel was loosely based on the Caperton case, which involved an actual multi-million dollar jury verdict, a real CEO of an existing coal company, and an actual campaign for a state supreme court seat in West Virginia.Late last week, a court filing was made, which essentially contends that the scenario painted so vividly by Grisham in his novel has actually happened in Illinois and that it involves a major corporation headquartered in Bloomington: State Farm.
The sitting justice can cast the deciding vote to reverse the jury verdict.
ReplyDeleteI know the truth shall prevail.
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