Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this letter are not necessarily the views of River Towns Media LLC
As Letita James and other state attorneys general gather in Westchester to hear from New Yorkers about the challenges they face, I urge the AGs to focus on the real crisis driving public frustration and our current political moment: the rising cost of living. From utility bills to everyday goods, New Yorkers are paying more and getting less.
Certainly the solution to the affordability crisis isn’t more lawsuits against energy producers, consumer brands, or legislation empowering ambulance chasers to shake down local businesses. But that’s what we’ve seen in the past. The fact is some policies advanced by these same elected officials will only make life more expensive.
Suing energy companies may grab headlines, but it won’t lower gas prices or keep heating affordable upstate. Targeting manufacturers over packaging might score points with anti-plastic curmudgeons, but it won’t reduce prices at the checkout line. And proposals to make it easier and more lucrative to file lawsuits threaten to turn our legal system into a weapon against small businesses already struggling to survive.
Enforcement should be focused on real crimes and the root causes driving up the cost of living and operating a business in New York, especially insurance fraud and fake lawsuits orchestrated by sophisticated organized crime rings. Let’s crack down on lawyers behaving badly, not hand already rich law firm partners new tools to get even wealthier while the average person is left paying more.
If these attorneys general want to support America’s working families, they should recognize the economic consequences of their own actions. Driving up costs and inviting abusive litigation will hit household budgets even harder. New Yorkers deserve policies that make life easier and promote economic growth –not another round of political maneuvering disguised as consumer protection that ultimately makes life more expensive for our friends and neighbors just seeking some relief.
Tom Stebbins
Executive Director
Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York
