Small Businesses Vulnerable to Lawsuit Abuse

Dear Editor,

Florida’s courts are being commandeered by con artists and fraudsters, earning massive paydays at the expense of everyday small business owners.

And things will keep getting worse on Mainstreet and in our communities if things don’t change soon.

There are many forms of lawsuit abuse in the Sunshine State, but one in particular offers a severe threat for small businesses– assessing the accuracy of damages. Properly evaluating the damages in a lawsuit can be the difference between justice being served or a new victim being created.

Small businesses don’t have the resources to fight expensive suits, making them highly vulnerable to frivolous lawsuits. Under the state’s current legal environment, employers are threatened by the low bar to file suits and the unreasonably high damages plaintiffs can be awarded.

It leaves businesses in a lose-lose situation of being extorted into a settlement or being bankrupted by an unfair trial.

If we want Florida to grow its economy into the nation’s leader, we need to ensure our small businesses are protected from abuse of the legal system.

Our lawmakers need to get off the sidelines and into the fight. They always make campaign promises to support the business community, and now it is time for them to deliver.

Jim Maxwell
158 Audubon Drive
Havana, FL  32333
jim.maxwell3319@gmail.com