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May 12, 2008
The following is a statement from American Association for Justice CEO Jon Haber:
“Manhattan Institute’s latest attack on the civil justice system follows the mold of its previous reports: fictitious, imaginative and laughable.
“Look no further than comments by Manhattan Institute Legal Director James Copland for the true intentions of this front group. He ridiculed a Vioxx widower when her husband died one-year after their wedding, calling the marriage ‘profitable,’ followed by, ‘you used to have to marry a billionaire to get that type of kickback from a one-year marriage.’ An FDA scientist testified to Congress that Vioxx contributed to as many as 55,000 deaths in the United States. [U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform Summit, 10/26/05, http://www.uschamber.com/webcasts/2005/051026.htm]
“While Manhattan Institute does the bidding for negligent corporations and CEOs, AAJ will hold them accountable and make sure people have their day in court.”
Background on Manhattan Institute: The Manhattan Institute has received funding from a number of corporations, including Exxon Mobil, Cigna, Aetna, Bristol Myers Squibb, Procter & Gamble, Prudential, Merck and Union Carbide. “The Manhattan Institute is financed with about $6 million a year from conservative foundations and corporations…[a]nd the executives of those companies, as well as top judges, lawyers and media figures, turn up at institute-sponsored luncheons where speakers assail legal rulings holding companies liable for defective products or discrimination on the basis of race, sex or disability.” [Knight-Ridder News Service, 10/19/97]
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