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    Geoff Meyerkord’s “Closing Argument”

    Click here to listen to the full episode.
     
    It’s important that people be accountable for their actions. And it’s important that they be made to take responsibility when they’ve done something wrong and that dangerous conduct hurts someone or worse. We’re a country of second chances, yes, but we’re also a country that likes it when people accept responsibility. And it’s amazing, isn’t it, that it seems like that is one of the most difficult things to do. For many people, it’s hard. It’s hard to the extent that they’re willing to perjure themselves, they’re willing to fib. Just to avoid responsibility.
     
    I sometimes think it’s not even about the money. It’s more of a personal thing. So our definition of justice includes accountability, being responsible, and you’re going to get a second chance. Heck, you might even get a third chance. So we have to have a system to hold people to account. And what is that system? Well, we have two systems. We have a criminal justice system, and we have a justice system. And I’m on the civil side.
     
    We use the civil justice system to not only manage disputes, but we use it to right wrongs and we use it as a way for the community represented by the jury to make a pronouncement about conduct being dangerous and inappropriate, not acceptable or permissible. So we have the jury do that, and that justice that comes from a jury verdict, the amount of emotional energy that a defendant in our cases feels about not fessing up, not admitting a wrong. Well, that same amount of emotional energy is in my clients in terms of pent up demand for a pronouncement of apology. And if you’re not going to get an apology, then the next best thing is the community will make that apology for the defendant through a jury verdict.
     
    I sometimes think that it’s not about the money for a defendant. Well, I oftentimes believe that it’s not about the money for my clients. How many times have we plaintiff lawyers had a client tell us, “It’s not about the money, it’s not about the money?” I guess when I was younger, I was cynical and I didn’t believe that, but I certainly do now. So my closing argument is that thank goodness that we have a justice system. Thank goodness that we have a civil justice system that allows jury trials. It’s so important. Our democracy may not be perfect. We know it’s not perfect because we know mistakes can happen. But find for me a more fair and balanced system.
     

    Click here to view Geoff’s Profile.

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