Wrapping Things Up

Extra from the Final TSA Newsletter, Originally Published: 20 February 2008

We didn’t get through even half of our case backlog in 2007, but looking through those cases there’s pretty much no doubt that we would have ended up with the same winner. And what a winner he is, too.

So why didn’t we get through more case write-ups? Just too busy. When I started TSA in 2002 my main gig, the weird news weekly feature This is True, was doing well. Six years later it’s doing very well, and taking up most of my time.

Even with a couple of attorneys to help me write up the case reports, they’re busy too, and even the three of us can’t produce enough, even though there are plenty of eligible cases to be featured. But I just can’t keep it going.

The philosophy TSA has run under from the start: TSA represents no special interests, nor proponents of one-fix-does-it-all band-aids. The problem isn’t lawyers (though they’re a part of the problem), it isn’t judges (though they’re a part of the problem), it isn’t even just something-for-nothing plaintiffs (though they’re a part of the problem). It’s a systemic, societal problem that calls for a systemic, top-to-bottom solution— as I discuss in my book.

And that book says everything I wanted to say about the matter and (I think) does that well. So once that was published, there wasn’t a lot more to add and I lost my passion for the project.

Thank You to the 95,000+ people subscribed to the newsletter at the end. I know you are hungry for more information, more cases, more solutions, but someone else must now take the lead.

My 2022 Thoughts on the Project

The True Stella Awards were prompted by the urban legend “Stella Awards cases” that came first. My thought was that if there was truly a problem with frivolous lawsuits, and I thought there was, then why use fake cases to illustrate a real problem? I bet that I could come up with enough interesting, actual cases to not just sustain a newsletter, but fill a book. Boy was I right: I couldn’t possibly keep up with them all.

Just over two years ago I decided that I would return TSA’s cases to the web site. My contract with my book publisher, Dutton, a division of Penguin, didn’t require me to take the cases offline, but I did to make the book the true “archive.” The problem with that is, the book had a deadline, which means a lot of cases are not in there. They weren’t published anywhere; they weren’t accessible. They are now, and it took a lot more effort than I thought it would!

On the other hand, the book has a significant amount of material this site doesn’t have, most notably my conclusions and commentary about what needs to be done. That means the book is still a must-read for anyone who finds these cases of interest.

There are some differences in the cases published here and the book: the book went through an editing process, and I consider that editing to be Dutton’s. All these postings were created from the original newsletters, not the book, plus research to see if I could find what happened with each case. If you’ve never read it, the book is still available as an ebook (e.g., on Amazon *, and other places as well), which is the cheapest option, and from my shopping cart if you want an autographed hardcover.

Letters

The last letter to publish is from a 16-year-old who reminds us of what this is all about:

Matt in Connecticut: “I am a 16-year-old high school sophomore. I was introduced to the Stella Awards last summer when I found your book in a bookstore. I enjoy humorous trivia books, and that is why I bought it; I figured it would be a light-hearted, humor book. Thank goodness I was wrong! Your book has opened me to the problems with the American legal system. I want to do something to help the system get better, like what you are doing, but I have no idea how. Also, because I like trivia books, that is what my parents think your book is. They agree that the lawsuits are ‘dumb’, and I have told them to read it, but they haven’t yet. Another problem is that since I am so young, I don’t feel that I can have any sort of impact, even on my family. I truly want to help in some way, but I don’t feel that anyone will listen. I really appreciate what you are doing, and I hope that you can continue this for many more years. If you have any advice, I would really appreciate it.”

As a matter of fact, I do. First, you can’t force people to read. I’ve tried it, and it doesn’t work. But you can become informed yourself, and you’re way ahead of other 16-year-olds already. At some point they’ll ask “How the HECK do you know about this stuff?” and then you can lay the book on them.

There was a story in the book (in the conclusion) about a reader who had a similar dilemma: he wondered what he could do about all of this. He said he had already talked two people out of filing frivolous suits, but felt powerless to create change. He didn’t realize that he was already practicing exactly what I’ve been preaching! If people don’t have common sense, and they’re willing to listen, talk to them. Help them see the other side: “Do you really want to sue an 81-year-old woman who depends on ‘Meals on Wheels’ when she did her best to clear her driveway? And you slipped because you were wearing slick shoes! Whose fault is that?!” goes a long way toward bringing rationality into the system.

“Sometimes the advice will be ‘Yeah: you were really wronged! I agree that if they don’t make it right, you should sue’,” I said in my book’s conclusion. “And that’s OK: that’s what the courts are there for.” — for righteous cases where the responsible party isn’t making good on their error, not ridiculous cases where people say “Hey! Maybe I can make a few thousand bucks!” even though they’re the one in the wrong. They need to see that what they’re doing is very wrong, and part of a huge problem. And you can be one of the people who tells them.

It’s called peer pressure, and that’s exactly what we need to fix this problem. As I put it in my book (last page): “Imagine expanding that to every reader of this book. Then expand it again, to every citizen with common sense. Imagine all of those people telling their political representatives that the system is broken, and we expect them to fix it — or we’ll elect someone who will. That is when things will really start to change. Effective reform of The People’s courts is necessarily up to us all.”

You’re “only” 16; you have plenty of time to make an impact if you simply keep at it. This is a big problem, and I’ve been working on it for five years just to make a dent; it’s too big to go away fast, but with enough pressure from enough people, it WILL go away.

[2022:] Matt is now around 30, and I hope he’ll send an update.

- - -

Email Subscriptions

No new cases are being published, so please don’t try to submit cases.

My Flagship Email Publication This is True continues to come out with new stories every week. It’s “Thought-Provoking Entertainment” like Stella, but uses weird-but-true news items as its vehicle for social commentary. It is the oldest entertainment newsletter online — weekly since 1994. Click here for a This is True subscribe form.

* FTC Notice: If you buy products through links on this site I may receive an “affiliate” fee, which does not affect the price you pay. Details on TSA’s Privacy page.