Do Liability Caps Pose a Safety Threat?

It's a horrible thought, but if there were minimal consequences for you performing your job less than adequately or safely, would you really put all your effort into it? This is the rationale many fear that companies and professionals are taking when it comes to dealing with their duties to consumer safety in regards to liability caps.

While no one will come out and say: "I'm not going to be overly cautious in my safety measures because the liability caps prevent me from being sued beyond $X amount of damages," many of us fear that it could be the case in many industries.

Consider the recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf. Investigations have shown that many of their safety measures and inspections were ignored or mishandled. The hope is that if the $75 million liability cap were lifted for the oil industry, the unlimited threat of liability would pressure companies into being more diligent in their safety measures.

In the world of medicine, the hope with the removal of liability caps is that doctors would take extra care to suggest preventative tests and procedures to avoid failure to diagnose or treat a condition, a common malpractice claim. It would also hopefully increase the safety procedures taken before and during an operation to avoid accidents.

My article on the dangers of liability caps explains their impact on companies and professionals, as well as the dangers to consumers. It's important to understand the general purpose of liability claims and how they impact both sides of a lawsuit.

Understanding liability caps is important when you are seeking to file a lawsuit, especially for medical malpractice. Virginia medical malpractice attorney Ben Glass has been fighting to help victims in the Virginia and D.C. areas for their medical malpractice claims. For more information, contact us today - 703-591-9829.