Abolish Contributory Negligence Now!
North Carolina law allows wrongdoers to assert a defense that lets them completely avoid responsibility for the harms they cause. This defense is known as Contributory Negligence.
Under Contributory Negligence, an at-fault defendant argues that a victim should be totally and completely barred from any recovery because the victim contributed to some degree, regardless of how slight, to their accident. *If the jury finds the victim was even a little at fault for causing their accident, even if it was just 1%, the victim receives NOTHING. *It is a total and complete bar to recovery.
Contributory Negligence is raised in all sorts of cases, ranging from car crashes, workplace accidents, dangerous products, nursing home neglect, and animal attacks. Even in the most obvious cases, such a rear-end car crashes, defendants will raise contributory negligence. The defense is not only a threat when a case goes to trial. During pretrial negotiations, defendants commonly raise the prospect of a contributory negligence verdict to reduce the amounts they offer to victims in settlement of valid claims, denying them fair compensation for their injuries.
Contributory negligence is a harsh, outdated legal doctrine that denies justice to deserving people who were injured almost entirely through no fault of their own. For that reason, most states rejected this defense decades ago. Unfortunately, *North Carolina and three other states still recognize the defense of contributory negligence.*
But now there is hope. The North Carolina legislature has introduced a groundbreaking bill to rid North Carolina of contributory negligence once and for all. *The Victims Fair Treatment Act, Senate Bill 477*, would end contributory negligence and result in a fair system that would hold wrongdoers accountable and allow victims to receive justice.
We must bring contributory negligence to an end in North Carolina.
PLEASE contact your legislators immediately and ask them to support the Victims Fair Treatment Act, Senate Bill 477.
A message voicing your support for this bill is already prepared, and all you need to do is send it.
If you are an existing client, the Victims Fair Treatment Act will directly benefit your claim! If you are one of our former clients, your efforts will benefit victims of negligence so that they will have a better outcome*. **We must end this unfairness!* Please call, email, or speak with your legislators and ask them to support the Victims Fair Treatment Act.
Please also like the Victim’s Fair Treatment Act page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SupportersoftheVFTA.
