A recent article in the Albuquerque Sunday Journal discussed the issue of Forum Shopping. The ABQ Journal describes Forum Shopping as picking the most advantageous court in which to file any lawsuit. Currently, state law allows attorneys to use or hire a personal representative in any jurisdiction, allowing the suit to be brought anywhere in the state. New Mexico Defense Lawyers Association's President, Sean Garrett weighs in on the subject.
NM's venue statute makes shopping for juries legal
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| Credit: Russ Ball / Journal |
Published: Sunday, June 28, 2015 at 12:02 am
Whether it's called justice for the "little guy" or stacking the deck, attorneys filing wrongful death lawsuits stemming from events that occurred elsewhere are flocking to Santa Fe and Las Vegas, N.M., with hope juries there will give clients much bigger verdicts than would juries in other parts of New Mexico.
While elusive verdict and settlement data can't prove their hopes true, a jury in Santa Fe this year did return the largest verdict in state history, $165 million against FedEx for a crash that occurred near Las Cruces, and verdicts of more than $50 million from Santa Fe haven't come as a shock to the legal community.
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