Items related to Distorting the Law: Politics, Media, and the Litigation...
Distorting the Law: Politics, Media, and the Litigation Crisis (Chicago Series in Law and Society) - Hardcover
In recent years, stories of reckless lawyers and greedy citizens have given the legal system, and victims in general, a bad name. Many Americans have come to believe that we live in the land of the litigious, where frivolous lawsuits and absurdly high settlements reign.
Scholars have argued for years that this common view of the depraved ruin of our civil legal system is a myth, but their research and statistics rarely make the news. William Haltom and Michael McCann here persuasively show how popularized distorted understandings of tort litigation (or tort tales) have been perpetuated by the mass media and reform proponents. Distorting the Law lays bare how media coverage has sensationalized lawsuits and sympathetically portrayed corporate interests, supporting big business and reinforcing negative stereotypes of law practices.
Based on extensive interviews, nearly two decades of newspaper coverage, and in-depth studies of the McDonald's coffee case and tobacco litigation, Distorting the Law offers a compelling analysis of the presumed litigation crisis, the campaign for tort law reform, and the crucial role the media play in this process.
Scholars have argued for years that this common view of the depraved ruin of our civil legal system is a myth, but their research and statistics rarely make the news. William Haltom and Michael McCann here persuasively show how popularized distorted understandings of tort litigation (or tort tales) have been perpetuated by the mass media and reform proponents. Distorting the Law lays bare how media coverage has sensationalized lawsuits and sympathetically portrayed corporate interests, supporting big business and reinforcing negative stereotypes of law practices.
Based on extensive interviews, nearly two decades of newspaper coverage, and in-depth studies of the McDonald's coffee case and tobacco litigation, Distorting the Law offers a compelling analysis of the presumed litigation crisis, the campaign for tort law reform, and the crucial role the media play in this process.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author:
William Haltom is professor in the Department of Politics and Government at the University of Puget Sound and the author ofReporting on the Courts. Michael McCann is the Gordon Hirabayashi Professor for the Advancement of Citizenship at the University of Washington, Seattle. He is the author of several books, most recently the award-winningRights at Work.
Review:
"This is an excellent study and should assume its rightful place in the pantheon of law and society studies. . . . In the end, the book becomes, for sympathetic readers, the academic equivalent of A Civil Action." (Richard L. Pacell, Jr. The Law and Politics Book Review 2004-09-01)
Winner of the 2005 Herbert Jacob Book Prize from the Law and Society Association (Herbert Jacob Book Prize 2005-01-01)
Winner of the 2005 Herbert Jacob Book Prize from the Law and Society Association (Herbert Jacob Book Prize 2005-01-01)
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press
- Publication date2004
- ISBN 10 0226314634
- ISBN 13 9780226314631
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages332
- Rating
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
Distorting the Law: Politics, Media, and the Litigation Crisis (Chicago Series in Law and Society)
Published by
University of Chicago Press
(2004)
ISBN 10: 0226314634
ISBN 13: 9780226314631
Used
Hardcover
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!. Seller Inventory # S_376338479
Buy Used
US$ 29.51
Convert currency