It seems to me like this is just a bribe to shut up about the cause of the lawsuit. It doesn’t lead to justice, and is not punitive enough in the case of large corporations.
I find this disgusting and immoral, but maybe I’m getting something wrong…? I hope so.
Please explain to me why this is, I’m getting irrationally angry at the fact that no one goes to trial for anything, including environmental hazards, rape, etc.
Edit: Found a source that details all the good reasons to go to trial instead of settling. Personally, an admission of guilt and real consequences to a misdeed are incomparably more important than a slap on the wrist like a settlement. https://www.askadamskutner.com/personal-injury/dont-settle-outside-of-court/
Edit 2: I see all the replies mentioning time and costs as the biggest reasons. And I get that, rationally. But sometimes people are irrational, I can’t believe 90% of lawsuits settle… (actually it’s 95% - https://thelawdictionary.org/article/what-percentage-of-lawsuits-settle-before-trial-what-are-some-statistics-on-personal-injury-settlements/ )
It depends. But most of the time you get more from settlement and without the headache of prolonged trial and companies don’t want to go though discovery as all of it becomes public record so it’s “cheaper” for them to settle.
Also US doesn’t have your attorney fees being automatically added to the losing party, so even if you win sometimes you lose as they can delay the trial with various tactics to the point that you can’t afford to pay your attoneys even with the judgment in your favor.
That last bit about the attorney fees not being a part of it is what’s wrong with the system… I assume something similar to filibustering happens in court due to that. It’s utterly immoral and ridiculous.