How much to charge for classic computer rental

[Joe R.]

At 11:21 PM 4/19/06 -0700, you wrote:
>On 4/19/2006 at 11:34 PM Jim Leonard wrote:
>
>>I must have the wrong background, then.  My father-in-law is a public 
>>defender and I know he doesn't make much defending murder suspects, etc. 
>
>I think your father has chosen a noble calling.  But tort law isn't
>criminal law--it's an alternate reality.  Most often, tort cases are "won"
>by the party that manages to stay in the ring the longest--sort of like a
>boxing match.  And  that match often continues far past a TKO.  Verdicts
>are often reduced or overturned after years of appeals.
>
>Up until the Federal class-action reform legislation was enacted a couple
>of years ago, there were a great many attorneys who made their fortunes by
>exploiting various states' class-action statutes.  Does your notebook's
>battery only give 1 hour and 45 minutes of service when the manufacturer
>advertised that it would deliver "approximately 2 hours"?  Stir the pot,
>find a few (4 or 5) folks who bought the system and who line up on your
>side, file in New Jersey and you could claim to be a class representing ALL
>customers who bought that particular computer.  The goal is to force the
>manufacturer into a settlement, not actually to go to trial.  You take your
>hunk of the action and everyone else gets sent a $50 coupon good on their
>next notebook purchase.    


   $50?  HAH!  I was an unwilling participant in a class action suit and my
award was 34 cents! I still have the check somewhere, it wasn't worth
cashing.  That was for escrow account overcharges that costs me hundreds.
The lawyers got the rest.

    Joe



>
>So who wins?  The manufacturer?  Nope.  The customers?  Not really--very
>few will use the $50 coupon.  The attorneys?  You betcha!  A new Jag and a
>month skiing in Gstaad at least.
>
>Like it or not (mostly I don't), torts are part of our justice system.
>Thank heavens criminal law doesn't work the same way.
>
>Cheers,
>Chuck
>
>