MATA President Defends Plaintiff’s Rights

Douglas K. Sheff is fighting an uphill battle.

Before the new president of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys can even begin lobbying for the changes he wants, Sheff says the organization must protect what rights plaintiffs have left.

“Before I tell you what we need to promote, first we have to defend,” the Boston lawyer says. Sheff says he and other plaintiffs’ attorneys throughout Massachusetts face a daunting list of obstacles:

* the possible creation of choice no-fault insurance;

* the Division of Insurance’s recent approval of a plan proposed by Premier Insurance Co. of  Massachusetts, which Sheff says is blatantly aimed at containing a person’s medical expenses under the $2,000 tort cap; and

* a bill seeking to limit accountants’ joint and several liability, which could lead to the end of all joint and several liability.

Add to all of this what Sheff considers the “poisoning” by big businesses and insurance companies of citizens’ perception of personal injury plaintiffs.