The reason why Americans sue so much

American technology engineer Gerard Williams recently sued Dam Vinh Hung in the California Supreme Court, accusing the singer of causing property damage at his home, demanding $2 in compensation and an apology. This is one of hundreds of thousands of civil lawsuits filed in courts across the United States each year.

According to US government statistics, 339,731 civil lawsuits will be conducted in the US in 2023, an increase of 24% compared to the previous year. Americans can sue for a variety of reasons, and litigation has long been considered a feature of this country’s culture.

Tribeca Lawsuit Loans, a financial institution in the US, analyzed the number of lawsuits filed from March 2022 to March 2023 compared to the population of each state in the US. The results showed that Florida had the highest litigation rate with 276 lawsuits per 100,000 people and a total of 59,400 lawsuits during the statistical period.

New York has about the same population as Florida, but averaged only 117 lawsuits per 100,000 people during the same period. Gov. Ron DeSantis said litigation costs Florida families more than $5,000 more each year.

Behind Florida is Louisiana with 265 lawsuits filed in court per 100,000 people. Some other states with notable litigation rates include Delaware, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, South Carolina, Arkansas, West Virginia and Nevada.

Litigation rates vary widely across industries, locations, and demographics. Medical malpractice, personal injury, and business disputes are among the most common causes of litigation in the United States.

Commentator Jay M. Feinman in the above article Washington Post In 2020, it was estimated that 16% of civil lawsuits in the US were claims involving amounts of several thousand dollars or less.

Observers believe that the popular trend of litigation in the US stems from the fact that many Americans value litigation culture, meaning they are more likely to turn to the law to find answers or solve problems. other countries.

This is also attributed to the easy access to the legal system in the US. Any American citizen can file a petition in civil court following simple procedures.

In the US, consumer protection laws allow buyers to easily file lawsuits against large companies and corporations if they discover false advertising or unsafe or fraudulent products.

Regulations on litigation costs in the US also have many differences. While some other countries have policies requiring the losing party to bear most of the winning party’s legal costs, US law requires the parties to pay their own legal costs. Some lawyers in the US even allow clients to only pay legal fees if they win the case, according to lawyer Blake Harris.

With the increasing number of civil lawsuits, the US also faces demands to reform its legal system. To avoid backlogs in the process of resolving lawsuits, many states are applying technological solutions such as digitizing paperwork, improving record management or using artificial intelligence (AI) to assist in resolving lawsuits. assistant judge.

Mediation can be seen as an alternative solution for matters that do not need to go to court, to help people avoid having to go through lengthy legal processes or complicated procedures, according to observers.