Arent juries too sympathetic to injured people and give away too much money?
No. While most cases settle, once a case goes to trial, a plaintiff (someone who files a lawsuit) wins only about half the time. That is not because the case was frivolous, but because cases are hard and expensive to win and because juries tend to be much harder on people who sue than is generally believed. In fact, the U.S. Department of Justice reports that the median jury award in “tort” cases is only $24,000. Moreover, taking a look at the 75 most populous counties, jury verdicts in these cases are in steep decline: from $71,000 in 1992 to $33,000 in 2005.
