{"id":2230014,"date":"2024-04-25T12:34:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-25T16:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trial-lawyers-give-millions-to-democrats-using-taxpayer-money-report\/"},"modified":"2024-04-25T12:42:55","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T16:42:55","slug":"trial-lawyers-give-millions-to-democrats-using-taxpayer-money-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trial-lawyers-give-millions-to-democrats-using-taxpayer-money-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: Trial lawyers donate millions to Democrats with taxpayer funds"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrial-lawyers-give-millions-to-democrats-using-taxpayer-money-report%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2230014&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The\u2062 report highlights major trial\u200c lawyer \u200bfirms diverting taxpayer funds to left-wing causes through public contracts with state attorneys general offices. These firms donated\u200c predominantly to Democrats, with 99% of their federal political contributions going\u200c to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mark-levin-critical-race-theory-is-louis-farrakhan-dressed-up-as-scholarship\/\" title=\"Mark Levin: 'Critical Race Theory Is Louis Farrakhan Dressed up as Scholarship'\">left-leaning entities<\/a> in 2023. Concerns about the influence of such contracts on political \u200dagendas \u200chave\u200b prompted actions by some Republican attorneys general.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>EXCLUSIVE \u2014<\/strong> Major <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trial-lawyers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>trial lawyer<\/a> firms divert <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/business\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>taxpayer money<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/campaign\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>left-wing causes<\/a> using public contracts they negotiate with state attorneys general offices, according to a new report.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/allianceforconsumers.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AFC-Shady-Eight-April-2024.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>report<\/a> from the consumer advocacy group Alliance for Consumers, which has been tracking the political bent of trial lawyer firms for several years, notes eight major plaintiff-side law firms gave 99% of their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/surprise-the-republican-group-supporting-an-arizona-democrat-isnt-very-republican\/\" title=\"Surprise! The \u2018Republican\u2019 Group Supporting an Arizona Democrat Isn\u2019t Very Republican\">federal political donations<\/a> to left-wing causes in 2023. Those firms are able to divert taxpayer money toward these causes through contracts they enter with states in major litigation, such as opioid cases, the report found.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor too long, the Left treated consumer protection as a way to push their ideological agenda, line their pockets, and punish their enemies, all at great cost to the actual everyday consumers who are most deserving,\u201d O.H. Skinner, executive director of Alliance for Consumers, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cWithout much notice, consumers fell by the wayside as the Left turned consumer protection into a political and ideological engine for their goals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was too little focus on how trial lawyers funneled 99% of their federal political giving to Democrats and their allies, and how this was fueled by deeply flawed public contracts that were signed in the name of consumers,\u201d Skinner added. \u201cThere was too little attention on how the trial lawyers used their lawsuits to obtain left-wing goals. And there was too little attention on the systematic use of flawed and deeply conflicted public contracts with left wing trial lawyers that powered the massive political giving at the expense of consumers and their pocketbooks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Skinner is sending the report to every Republican attorney general in the country this week, warning them about how trial firms they employ could be using their public contract money to subvert their work, and even put money behind the campaigns of political opponents.<\/p>\n<p>State attorney general offices often contract with trial lawyer firms on large-scale litigation efforts, such as securing opioid or toxic chemical exposure settlements, due to the size and scope of the injured parties that state offices alone may not have the capacity to handle.<\/p>\n<p>The eight firms cited in the report, which the report calls the \u201cshady eight,\u201d are Morgan &#038; Morgan, Lieff Cabraser, Motley Rice, Baron &#038; Budd, Grant &#038; Eisenhofer, Berger Montague, Cohen Milstein, and Simmons Hanly.<\/p>\n<p>Collectively, they gave $20 million in political donations from 2017 to 2023, $1.5 million of which was in 2023 alone, according to the report. Ninety-nine percent of that money went to either Democrats or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/law-firms-using-public-contracts-to-divert-money-to-democrats-consumer-advocates\/\" title=\"Law Firms Using Public Contracts to Divert Money to Democrats: Consumer Advocates\">allied political committees<\/a>, and the top five recipients of the money in 2023 were President Joe Biden and Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jon Tester (D-MT), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Bob Casey (D-PA).<\/p>\n<p>Of the eight firms, only two gave less than 99% of their political contributions to the Left: Morgan &#038; Morgan at 97%, and Simmons Hanly at 89%. But three firms clocked in at 100% donation to Democrats: Lieff Cabraser, Cohen Milstein, and Baron &#038; Budd. Those three firms made over $750,000 in federal political donations, none of which went to Republicans or allied committees.<\/p>\n<p>Some Republican attorneys general, such as Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, and Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2023\/03\/08\/kansas-iowa-ags-terminate-trial-lawyer-contracts-with-left-wing-morgan-morgan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>started to move away<\/a> from contracting with some of these firms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConsumers and taxpayers lose out from the Shady Trial Lawyer Pipeline in many ways, but one particularly dire aspect is how the public contracts that are the gateway to the Shady Trial Lawyer Pipeline are so often <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-law-firms-donated-15-million-to-democrat-groups-after-receiving-government-contracts\/\" title=\"Report: Law Firms Donated  Million to Democrat Groups After Receiving Government Contracts\u00a0\">missing basic protections<\/a> such that deeply conflicted trial lawyers can put their own interests first and turn these engagements into a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/megadonors-pour-record-amount-of-money-into-get-out-the-vote-effort-for-dems\/\" title=\"Megadonors Pour Record Amount of Money Into \u2018Get Out the Vote\u2019 Effort for Dems\">left-wing political<\/a> money game,\u201d Skinner wrote in a letter to the attorneys general.<\/p>\n<p>The report pointed to several \u201cweaknesses\u201d in the contracts that allow the law firms to take advantage of public money, including that the contracts often have no expiration date or explicit language tying the contract to a specific case and that the contracts typically include minimal conflict of interest protections. The contracts also frequently allow the same firm to represent multiple state governments that could be arguing different sides of the same case and offer no assurance that lawyer fees will not be taken out of the victim fund.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The cushy contracts could allow the law firms to bill money to taxpayers and turn around to pump it into left-wing political causes.<\/p>\n<p>Pointing to decisions by Iowa and Kansas to terminate contracts with Morgan &#038; Morgan last year, Skinner said, \u201cThe tide is turning,\u201d adding, \u201cwe are seeing more and more States take action to change course and end the Shady Trial Lawyer Pipeline.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read the full report here:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"View AFC Shady Eight April 2024pdf on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/726612120\/AFC-Shady-Eight-April-2024pdf#from_embed\">AFC Shady Eight April 2024pdf<\/a> by <a title=\"View web-producers's profile on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/user\/701058553\/web-producers#from_embed\">web-producers<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Read the letter to attorneys general here:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"View AFC Letter to AGs Pipeline Report April 25 2024 on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/726612542\/AFC-Letter-to-AGs-Pipeline-Report-April-25-2024#from_embed\">AFC Letter to AGs Pipeline \u2026<\/a> by <a title=\"View web-producers's profile on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/user\/701058553\/web-producers#from_embed\">web-producers<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent report reveals that major trial lawyer firms redirect taxpayer funds to left-wing causes through public contracts negotiated with state attorneys general offices. The Alliance for Consumers report highlights the political influence of eight prominent plaintiff-side firms, as tracked over several years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":2230015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iStock-1494529981-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2230014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iStock-1494529981-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2230014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2230014"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2230014\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2230015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2230014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2230014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2230014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}