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Ohio News |
Article published Tuesday, October 29, 2002
CAMPAIGN AD WATCH
‘Lawsuit’ parody flies in under radar of watchdog
panel
BLADE COLUMBUS
BUREAU
In a parody of ads by lawyers soliciting business, two
“personal injury lawyers” suggest ridiculous litigation.
| This
30-second ad is the second from Informed Citizens of Ohio, a
business-backed group seeking to re-elect Ohio Supreme Court Justice
Evelyn Stratton.
The nonprofit group, fronted by Akron
industrialist and charter school magnate David Brennan, does not
have to reveal who funds its efforts unless it overtly urges
election or defeat of a candidate. But it gets its message across:
If you’re concerned about frivolous lawsuits, vote for Justice
Stratton.
PRODUCER: HMS Success, Columbus
ON
THE SCREEN: In a parody of those TV advertisements by lawyers
soliciting business, two "personal injury lawyers" from the
fictional firm of "Brady & Lawrence" look squarely at the camera
as they suggest ridiculous litigation. The words "Actual Lawsuits"
appear in the lower-right corner. Finally, over a photo of Justice
Stratton, a male narrator praises Justice Stratton’s
record.
SCRIPT: Lawyers: "At Brady & Lawrence, we
help you collect on your lawsuit. Say you’re stealing a hubcap and
the car starts rolling over your hand. That could hurt. And you
could sue! Say you’re washing your poodle and you pop her in the
microwave to dry and she dies. That could hurt. And you could sue!"
Narrator: "Frivolous lawsuits cost your family $2,500 a year.
Justice Evelyn Stratton’s record shows that she protects your family
by fighting lawsuit abuse."
ACCURACY: Neither lawsuit
was filed in Ohio. The hubcap suit supposedly was filed in
California, but the poodle story has largely been dismissed as the
tort equivalent of an urban legend. The estimate of $2,500 for a
family of four in additional costs due to litigation, adjusted for
Ohio’s population, is one of varying numbers used over the years by
tort reform backers. This ad refers to Justice Stratton’s past
record. She has dissented in the past on majority decisions striking
down legislative bids to limit jury awards in medical malpractice,
product liability, and other cases.
SCORECARD: So far,
Informed Citizens has been able to fly under the radar of an ad
watchdog committee established by Ohio State Bar Association. The
bar opted not to challenge a prior Informed Citizens ad depicting a
young couple who discover the pregnant wife’s obstetrician has
closed his practice because of rising medical malpractice premiums.
Unless you notice the "Paid for by Informed Citizens of Ohio"
disclaimer in the final frame, you would not know this is not an ad
from Justice Stratton’s own campaign.
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