Junk Science Begets Junk Lawsuits

Investors.com ^ | March 4, 2010 | MAUREEN MARTIN

[Kaslin]

It's said that the most dangerous place in the world is between a politician and a camera. The same could be said about getting between trial lawyers and the courtroom.

The rush to the courts is under way, triggered by two recent rulings allowing global warming claims to go forward against energy defendants for their emissions of carbon dioxide. A third such ruling may be coming soon, even though it becomes more obvious every day that man-made global warming is a myth and such lawsuits are frivolous.

But plaintiffs' lawyers love these suits because the financial stakes — and their contingent fees — are potentially enormous.

• In the first case, plaintiffs want defendant utility plants ordered to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions in a wide area of the Northeast. The New York federal appellate court ruled in September 2009 that this regulation-by-judge case could go forward, even though the Environmental Protection Agency is considering such regulations as well.

• In the second case, plaintiffs allege that global warming caused by utilities' carbon dioxide emissions increased the ferocity of Hurricane Katrina. The class action seeks payment of all property damages in the storm area. The federal appellate court in New Orleans ruled in October that this case could go forward.

• In the third case, in San Francisco, an Alaskan Indian tribe alleges that its village will be destroyed by rising sea levels as glaciers melt due to global warming. The village seeks reimbursement of relocation costs from the energy and power company defendants. The trial court dismissed the case, but reversal is expected.

These cases are troubling. They are complex and expensive to defend, the potential damages are enormous, and the costs of any recoveries will be passed on to consumers if the plaintiffs win.

[Roccus]

...and then there is the other side of the coin

http://www.climategate.com/worlds-biggest-coal-company-brings-us-government-to-court-in-climate-fraud

[steelyourfaith]

 

Beam me to Planet Gore !

[pepperdog]

How about we all file a class action suit against ________ (Gore maybe, or Michael Mann, or the whole scientific community) regarding the mental anguish and terror they have caused people. They’ve undoubtedly split up families with this farce, probably marriages, certainly there have been people who committed suicide rather than face GW...I think someone should pay!

[Chode]

all the have to do is show the jury "The Great Global Warming Swindle" and rest their case.

if they lose, well... they would of lost anyway because those that vote guilty belong to the Church of Globull Warming.