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Injury lawyer's observations on Hot Coffee and tort reform for the U.S.A.
via Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. Attorneys at Law by admin on 6/28/11
"Tort reform" is the subject of the movie Hot Coffee that recently aired on a major satellite television network in the U.S.A. Early Hot Coffee reviews are mostly positive: the critics seem to agree that the film is though-provoking and well-made. The motion picture is not without criticism, some coming directly from participants in the documentary.
View the official "Hot Coffee" injury lawyer movie trailer, below:
Critics had the following to say about Hot Coffee:
Saladoff shows with incandescent clarity that the unabashed aim of the "reformers" is to shield large corporations and medical professionals from being held accountable, allowing those who commit negligent or wrongful acts to escape meaningful responsibility. – Gerald L. Shargel, a member of the New York Bar since 1969
It is a sad reality of our day that the trial lawyer is one of the most stereotyped and satirized figures in contemporary society. There was a moment early in the film where Saladoff is interviewing people on the street about what they knew about this iconic case. Each expressed scorn and ridicule towards the plaintiff who was burned with the coffee, until Saladoff showed them–and us–pictures of the burns and how horrific they were. People stopped laughing then, and I couldn't help but think of one of the seminal moments in Robert Bolt's classic play, A Man For All Seasons, when Sir Thomas More chastises an adversary for threating him like a "dock side bully." A true statesman, he opines, threatens only with the truth. The innocent are not threatened by it, and the guilty are more afraid of it than of any fabrication. – Kenneth R. Morefield
Everyone remembers the lady who sued McDonald's for her coffee being too hot, right? We all thought she encouraged frivolous lawsuits and tied up the court system with a meritless complaint, right?
Well, this new documentary by Susan Saladoff may actually revise our judgments.
– Tassoula E. Kokkoris
Whether you agree or disagree with the participants in the documentary, viewers will feel outraged to see the damage done to a family who were not given the money they were originally awarded to help their disabled child due to non-economic damage caps. The audience will also fight back tears when hearing how Jamie Leigh Jones couldn't rightfully sue KBR/Halliburton after she was gang-raped by seven fellow co-workers in Iraq because she had an arbitration clause in her contract with the company that prevented her from doing so.
No matter what your stance is on U.S. civil justice reforms, after watching the documentary there is no question viewers will applaud Hot Coffee for its informative facts and heartrending anecdotes. – Serena Whitney
There are many talking heads to address the various subjects discussed, but none of the story's "villains" agreed to comment. In addition, a group of interviews were conducted to illustrate how misinformed and/or unaware the general public is in regards to most of these issues. There are many lessons to be learned in Hot Coffee – and in case you missed any of them, Saladoff does a recap at the film's end. Even though the legislation is not applicable in Canada, the narrative is still a horrifying revelation and a genuine reminder to be vigilant. – Sarah Gopaul, TFS Contributing Editor
Chaptered using the catch phrases that have been so well-marketed to us as examples of "frivolous lawsuits", we learn a great deal more about what is at stake, and the development of slogans that have intimidated us into voting to restrict our own rights. The deterioration of accessibility to courts is then translated into explaining how the economics play out from the altered state and federal practices that have been manipulated over the past few decades.
Hot Coffee is simply a film that everyone should see. Even if its elements only provoke debate, that would still be a beneficial outcome, for which we owe Saladoff a tremendous debt. It succinctly provides accessible information of how things are, and concisely forshadows the dangers that lie ahead. It not only illuminates complicated functions of the legal system, but provides scrutiny of all information sources. While there is definitely an agenda and bias upon which the film is based, so much is clearly composed that every point of view will get something new out of watching it. – Rachel Gordon
Expertly edited by Cindy Lee with slick visuals by Brian Oakes, "Hot Coffee" is so good that it's difficult to believe it was helmed by a first-time filmmaker. Executive producer Sheila Nevins and the HBO hierarchy usually have enough on their own production and development plates, but it's no surprise that they picked up this provocative and potentially game-changing documentary; one would also not be surprised to see this film continue on its way into end-of-season awards discussions. – Elliot V. Kotek
For anyone who becomes confused or exasperated by the ins and outs of the legal system and all of its jargon, Saladoff lays out the perplexing information in a fashion anyone can enjoy with simplified yet informational graphs and well-educated interviews. By the end of the credits, you'll be so informed and infuriated, you'll be ready to take on big business all by yourself. – Jimmy Martin
If you are American you are consistently being dissuaded from utilizing your civil justice system; Hot Coffee shows you what to do about it. — Three Imaginary Girls
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