Why is litigation necessary?
Many people associate lawsuits with greedy trial lawyers. However, this case is not about money. Its about getting irresponsible food and media corporations to stop using deceptive marketing practices to lure vulnerable children into a lifetime of destructive eating habits. Litigation has been an important tool of social change throughout our nations history. From the environment, to civil rights, to health care, public interest advocates have relied on the court system as a last resort when other avenues fail, in order to bring about much-needed improvements in the ways we live our lives.
Recognizing that a cookie-cutter approach is not adequate to solve problems within child welfare systems, the means we use varies according to the situation. Contemplation of a class action lawsuit against a child welfare system is itself an intervention, setting in motion a process that exposes the inner workings of closed systems to public scrutiny. Any concrete plan of action for reform must be grounded in the needs of children and families and involve the people who know best how to fix systems within a particular city or state. With the possibility of litigation squarely on the table or preliminary court orders in place, child welfare administrators, politicians and other players in the community are forced to ask themselves whether they want the same goals for children in the system รข a safe environment, a nurturing and permanent home, high quality services and whether they can accomplish these goals without the external pressure that litigation often supplies.
