Litigation costs could have funded ambulances, clean air school buses or transportation projects

(San Diego, CA) – In the past two years, taxpayers in San Diego have spent more than $27 million on lawsuit settlements and awards and outside counsel in a bonanza for personal injury lawyers who seem to be increasingly viewing taxpayers as their next big meal ticket. The result is fewer dollars for needs like first responders, law enforcement, parks and libraries. The findings were issued today in a report by California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse.

“When local governments are the subject of frivolous lawsuits, it is the taxpayers who pay,” said Lorie Zapf, president of San Diego Citizens Against Lawsuits Abuse.

“The tax that San Diegans are paying to fund litigation against the city and county is enormous,” said Zapf. “These funds could be going to much more important things, such as sheriffs, police officers and firefighters. Instead, personal injury lawyers are lining their pockets with our money.”

According to recent budget documents, the amount San Diego taxpayers spent on litigation costs could have funded:

• The replacement of 84 pre-1987 diesel school buses with buses using natural gas or clean diesel, at a cost of $107,500 per bus;
• Nearly half of the cost of the new North County Animal Shelter;
• Almost half of the $3.4 million spent on the Mission Road Improvements Projects;
• The addition of two ambulances to the county service area; or
• Repaving over 46 miles of streets with asphalt.

The information compiled in the report came from public information requests of the localities.

“Citizens of the San Diego area deserve to know where their tax dollars are going,” Zapf said. “That’s why San Diego CALA is calling for greater disclosure, more public oversight and adoption of aggressive risk management procedures to protect our local government coffers from the greedy hands of personal injury lawyers.”

The full report is available here.