Sacramento Area dentists draw attention to costs associated with lawsuits

(Sacramento, Calif.) – Two California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse members were featured in a video released today as part of a national campaign to highlight the impact of frivolous lawsuits on communities and small businesses across the country.

Sickoflawsuits.org, a national project of Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, has launched a viral video campaign to highlight the impact of frivolous lawsuits on communities and small businesses across the country.  The “I Am Lawsuit Abuse” campaign features real victims of lawsuit abuse, who share personal stories about how abusive personal injury lawyer tactics have wreaked havoc on their lives.

Jeff and Shaina DiMariano, a Sacramento-area father and daughter dentist team, discussed the extra steps they have to take with their patients just to ensure protection from false claims of malpractice. Both father and daughter talk about the impacts the threat of liability has on their jobs and the increased costs associated with it.

“The sad fact is, no matter how much effort goes into preventing liability, there is always a chance of being hit with an abusive lawsuit,” said Marko Mlikotin, Northern California regional director of California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse. “The abuse of our courts continues to be a key driver of the problems plaguing our economy and health care system. Too often, lawsuit abuse puts small companies out of business and raises health care costs for every day citizens.”

Small businesses, which are responsible for 75 percent of new jobs in the United States, are often the hardest hit by the threat of a frivolous lawsuit. The average small business spends over $17,000 per year due to the out-of-control legal system. Even when lawsuits are baseless, the cost to fight them typically costs a small business owner over $5,000.

“We certainly feel patients should be protected from malpractice,” said Shaina DiMariano. “But we need protection too, so that we can perform our jobs to the best of our abilities.”

Mlikotin commended the DiMarianos for taking action to voice concerns about the impact of lawsuit abuse on small businesses. “Jeff and Shaina DeMariano are not alone. Personal injury lawyers across the nation continue to threaten small businesses with abusive lawsuits,” he said.

The family dental practice has offices in Sacramento and Folsom.

California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) is a nonpartisan, grass-roots organization dedicated to educating the public about the negative effects of lawsuit abuse and challenging those who abuse our legal system for personal gain.

Watch the video here.