Real Corporate Accountability Now
Take Action to Hold Corporations AccountableLax oversight and limits on consumer rights have allowed some corporations to run amok. Without accountability measures that hold these corporate wrongdoers responsible when they harm workers, customers, or the public at large, we will continue to see life savings decimated, lives lost, and communities ruined. When corporate criminals are found guilty of safety lapses, cover-ups, and fraud, they should be forced to answer for their actions.
Just as individuals must be personally responsible for the decisions we make and the actions we take, corporations should face real consequences when they cause needless financial or personal harm.
We have seen what happens when government oversight fails and judicial accountability is curtailed: We get Wall Street banks that take unnecessary risks with their customers’ life savings, we get oil companies that ignore safety protocols leading to needless deaths and devastated communities, we get cars that careen out of control, we get insurance companies that raise rates and slash coverage while denying legitimate claims.
Something’s got to give.
Corporate wrongdoers like BP, AIG, and their ilk don’t deserve bailouts. They should be held accountable for what they have done. Responsible corporations that play by the rules and pay heed to the safety of their employees, customers, and neighbors shouldn’t have to compete with bad actors whose dangerous shortcuts are used to boost their bottom line.
Texas families shouldn’t be forced to foot the bill for corporate criminals. We need strong corporate accountability protections that ensure real consequences for corporations that risk the lives and livelihoods of Texas families. This means penalties for failing to meet quality and safety standards, access to the legal system for consumers who have been harmed, and real oversight of corporate conduct.
Studies & Research
The Endless Campaign: How the Tort Reformers Successfully and Incessantly Market Their Groupthink to the Rest of Us
Michael L. Rustad (Suffolk University School of Law); July 7, 2010
Legal Abandon: How Limiting Lawsuits Led to the Financial Collapse and What to Do About It
Amy Widman and Joanne Doroshow (Center for Justice & Democracy); February 2010
How the Civil Justice System Protects Environmental Health
Amy Widman (Center for Justice & Democracy); October 2007
The Frivolous Case for Tort Law Change: Opponents of the Legal System Exaggerate Its Costs, Ignore Its Benefits
Economic Policy Institute (Lawrence Chimerine and Ross Eisenbrey); May 17, 2005
News Articles
Lawmakers Worry Meritless Lawsuits Threaten Free Speech
Texas Tribune—August 13th, 2010
BP to Pay Record $50.6 Million Fine Over Texas Refinery
The New York Times—August 12th, 2010
Advocates: Immunity for BP-Style Disasters Threatens Workers, Environment, Communities
Texas Watch—July 29th, 2010
BP Will Loom Over Work Safety Hearing
Texas Watch—July 28th, 2010
Editorial: BP Replaces CEO, but What About Its Safety Policies?
USA Today—July 27th, 2010
Read all articles in Real Corporate Accountability Now »

