Caving In on Liability Cases Leads to the Loss of Personal Freedom

I am amazed that a panel of appeals court justices would advise (Orange) County attorneys to settle the multimillion-dollar suit against the county for the mauling of Laura Small at Caspers Wilderness Park. Does Associate Justice Henry T. Moore Jr. think that attorneys who have worked on this case for seven years have not considered the possibility that the county might “lose a great deal” in an appeals court decision?

Ask the city of Newport Beach about the benefits of caving in to personal liability suits. In the past few years the city has paid out about $10 million to three people visited by misfortune within city limits (one crossing a street, one riding a bike and one jumping off a pier). I’m sure that caving in was the most cost-effective solution in each case, but aren’t the long-term costs of this craven policy obvious?

Preoccupation with limiting potential monetary losses in each individual suit quickens the erosion of personal freedom in a society that has decided to hold itself liable for every accident that “could have been prevented.” The Small case has already resulted in the outright barring of minors from Caspers Park, and I can’t wait for some 17-year old Eagle Scout to bring an anti-discrimination suit against the county for developing and enforcing this totally arbitrary policy. For the rest of us, the experience of visiting this wonderful natural area has been severely compromised by the two flyers we are handed that play up mountain lion risks, the liability waiver that must be signed, and the giant red and white lion warning signs liberally scattered throughout the park. For obvious reasons, the once-popular park is now a money loser, and we can look for its closure in the near future.

Society can and should provide universal medical insurance. However, we cannot continue to punish ourselves for the mishaps that occur in this dangerous and imperfect planet.

ROBB HAMILTON

Costa Mesa

* I am appalled that Associate Justice Henry T. Moore Jr. is advocating a settlement in the Laura Small mountain lion case. This is just another example of a legal system gone wild.

When people visit a “wilderness park” does it not make sense that there might be some wildlife there? What did the county do wrong, forget to kill every mountain lion before the Smalls got there? Maybe everybody should be assigned a personal ranger to protect us from animals desperate for food because of uncontrolled development. Although I think it is tragic that Laura Small was attacked, I do not see why I and the other taxpayers will have to shell out $2 million because of the natural act of a predator in a wilderness area and/or parental ignorance.

Why does government (and ultimately our wallets) have to take responsibility for natural occurrences? It is a shame that anytime an unfortunate incident happens to people they automatically look for someone to blame and monetary gain.

BOB DUKUS

Irvine