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"When I heard $67 million, I said to myself, 'Nonsense'... How could he claim this much over a pair of pants?"

Jin and Soo Chung
Custom Cleaners
Washington, D.C.

Jin and Soo Chung came to the United States in search of the American dream. What they experienced was the nightmare of American lawsuit abuse. While the Chungs may not be household names, most Americans are aware of the $54 million lawsuit over ...

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"In many cases there are people who have absolutely no loss or problem with the situation but they found a point of law that they can sue on."

Rollie Haas
Master Landscapes
Salinas, CA

"My wife and I joke about the fact that I'm one of the rare guys that gets to go play everyday. I love going to work. I get to do it every day and it's fun." As the president of Master Landscapes in Salinas, California, Rollie Haas spends most d...

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"It's really something we shouldn't have had to do, we shouldn't have had to have worried about."

Rick Popp
Ozark Outdoors
Springfield, MO

"We've always built our business based on service after the sale and customer service," says Rick Popp, the second-generation owner of Ozark Outdoors, a lawn and garden equipment company in Springfield, Missouri. When a customer bought a $6,000 ...

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"It kind of puts a damper on the American Dream, thinking that everybody is honest and fair, and it doesn't always work out that way unfortunately."

Danny Myers
Vintage Pools and Spas
Santa Ana, CA

"Twenty thousand dollars is a lot of money. It hurts to have a small company, so it's not something you want to give away." Danny Myers is the owner of Vintage Pools and Spas in Santa Ana, California. "I've been in the business for almost 30 yea...

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"It seems silly that we are the ones that have to pay for someone else's shot at maybe making a lot of money."

Chris Moser
Network 54
Los Angeles, CA

When does the president of a corporation have to get his own coffee? When he and his business partner are the only employees. "In a startup like ours, there's two employees, so we do everything," says Chris Moser, president of Network 54, an In...

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"If it can close an entire facility that's meant to benefit children and families, it can hurt anyone."

Crystal Chodes
Basketball Town
Rancho Cordova, CA

"As a result of all the legal fees associated with the lawsuit, we had no choice but to close the facility," says Crystal Chodes, former marketing director for Basketball Town, a special events facility for basketball, volleyball, and other sporting ...

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"There's got to be a line drawn in the sand and we've got to start doing something about this, because it's just gone way too far."

Randy Baumgarten
Lee Lumber and Building Materials
Chicago, IL

"You used to be able to give better service; you used to be able to be better than everybody else. Now you have to watch your step because you're doing something that's going to expose you to some legal action." That sentiment underscores Randy B...

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"We are losing a lot in terms of kids' innovativeness and creativity. Frankly, I am worried about the next generation."

Dr. Olga Jarrett
Associate Professor
Georgia State University

The increasing fear of lawsuits is eliminating recess and removing playgrounds from America's schools, and it's coming at a cost to our children. Dr. Olga Jarrett, an associate professor at Georgia State University who prepares teachers to teach i...

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"These lawyers are not ambulance chasers but they are certainly creating havoc in society today."

Jerry Lightfoot
Orange County Building Materials, Inc.
Vidor, Texas

"There's no way for us to protect ourself," says Jerry Lightfoot. "Someone falls off a piece of lumber and they hurt theirself and they sue us, what do we do? There's no protection." Jerry is the Vice President of Orange County Building Material...

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