you write "It is what it is"

I write: "It is what it is-----until it isn't"

Thankfully we do have a resource to affect a change. It's called a court with all its' arcane rules and procedure does its best to dispense justice. It's not foolproof but it is likely the best form of jurisprudence on the planet.

In a civil case for damages if a claim is made and proved that one acted willfully, malicious, oppressive, fraudulent, or reckless punitive damages can be awarded-and these damages are separate and apart from the normal damages that an individual suffers. They are meant to punish the defendant for their outrageous conduct. You might recall the Ford Pinto case in which Ford motor company became aware of dangers in the placement of its gas tank including the possibility of fire but chose to "buy off" settlements instead of an expensive recall. Purely an economic decision by Ford Motor. The end of Pinto came because the claim for punitive damages was allowed and the jury awarded millions to the family of a deceased who burned to death after a rear end collision. The jury found that by exposing people to death was not as much concern to them as the cost of an expensive recall and replacement of the gas tanks.

So the Ford Pinto came to an unglorified end because at one time "it was what it was---until it no longer was".



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2022 12:50PM by waterfield.