GREG HODGEN: True Crime Trial Exposes Litigation Tax On Working Families

Late last week, two plaintiffs’ attorneys in Louisiana were found guilty for their roles in a complex criminal conspiracy that has drawn national attention.

After an extensive FBI investigation, federal prosecutors found that the lawyers conspired with other indicted individuals to stage crashes involving 18‑wheelers, file fraudulent insurance claims, and bring lawsuits against unsuspecting truck drivers.

According to the indictment, when one of the “slammers” hired to intentionally crash into commercial trucks became a liability, a co‑conspirator—who is scheduled to face trial later this year— arranged for a hitman to kill him.

As shocking as the true‑crime elements of this case are, the deeper story is not about one defendant or one courtroom. It is about a civil justice system that, in too many places, has been distorted by lawsuit abuse, where profit takes precedence over fairness and the costs are quietly passed on to everyone else.

Nowhere is that distortion more evident than in trucking litigation. Too often, courtrooms function less as forums for justice and more as engines of jackpot justice designed to extract massive settlements from truckers and insurers by exploiting fear, uncertainty, and the risk of runaway verdicts. The goal is not to fairly compensate an injured plaintiff, but to coerce payment regardless of fault. The consequences show up in higher insurance premiums, higher prices at the grocery store, and fewer dollars in the pockets of American families.