A nonpartisan organization built around support for reform.
End Lawsuit Abuse, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about the economic and societal consequences of litigation brought primarily to enrich attorneys without regard to the damage done by such litigation, or the ethical boundaries that might be crossed by attorneys putting their own profits ahead of their clients’ interests and the integrity of the legal profession.
America’s civil justice system plays an essential role in protecting individual rights, resolving legitimate disputes, and holding wrongdoers accountable. Access to the courts is fundamental to that system.
But when litigation is abused or driven by financial incentives rather than legitimate claims, the consequences can extend far beyond the courtroom. Litigation abuse can increase the cost of goods and services, threaten businesses and jobs, distort the legal system, and ultimately impose costs on American families.
Our Mission
Our mission is to bring greater transparency to the forces driving abusive litigation and to educate the public, business leaders, policymakers, and other stakeholders about their consequences.
We examine issues including:
- Third-party litigation funding and the financial interests behind lawsuits;
- Fraud and misconduct in mass-tort and other litigation;
- Legal advertising and mass client recruitment;
- Financial incentives that can encourage unnecessary or abusive litigation;
- Practices that may place attorney or investor profits ahead of clients;
- Abuses involving asbestos and other mass-tort litigation;
- Class-action and multidistrict litigation practices;
- The effectiveness of existing mechanisms for attorney accountability; and
- The broader economic impact of litigation on consumers, businesses, jobs, and the U.S. economy.
What We Do
End Lawsuit Abuse conducts research, examines court records and other public information, consults with experts and stakeholders, and develops educational materials designed to make complex litigation issues understandable to the public.
Our work may include reports, articles, interviews, videos, documentary projects, public forums, educational campaigns, and other initiatives.
Some of the most consequential practices within the civil justice system receive surprisingly little public attention. Our goal is to bring greater transparency to those practices, examine the evidence carefully, and encourage informed discussion about their consequences and potential solutions.
Our Approach
End Lawsuit Abuse supports a strong civil justice system in which individuals with legitimate claims have meaningful access to the courts and wrongdoers are held accountable.
Our concern is not litigation. Our concern is abuse of litigation.
We believe the integrity of the civil justice system depends upon honest claims, reliable evidence, transparency, ethical conduct, and accountability for everyone who participates in it.
By examining practices that may undermine those principles and explaining their real-world consequences, we seek to promote greater transparency, accountability, and public confidence in the American civil justice system.
Our Independence
End Lawsuit Abuse is an independent nonprofit organization.
Our research and educational priorities are guided by our mission. We seek to examine matters of public interest carefully and responsibly, relying on court records, credible sources, research, expert analysis, and other available evidence.
We welcome serious discussion, scrutiny, and differing perspectives on the issues we examine.
The Bigger Picture
The cost of litigation abuse does not necessarily end with a verdict or settlement.
Those costs can extend throughout the economy—affecting the prices consumers pay, the availability of products and services, investment and innovation, employment, insurance costs, and the competitiveness of American businesses.
We believe the public deserves a better understanding of these consequences and of the financial incentives and practices that may be driving them.
Litigation abuse has a cost. Americans deserve to know who is paying it.
Who is behind this.
Frank Fletcher is the Founder and Executive Director of End Lawsuit Abuse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public, business leaders, and policymakers about the economic and societal consequences of abusive and attorney-profit-driven litigation.
Fletcher founded End Lawsuit Abuse after a lengthy career that ranged from Silicon Valley technology companies to nearly eight years as General Counsel of J-M Manufacturing (“J-MM”). Throughout his career, Fletcher focused on developing innovative legal strategies to solve difficult business and litigation problems.
At J-MM, Fletcher became increasingly focused on the systemic forces driving mass-tort litigation. Rather than simply defending one lawsuit after another, he developed strategies aimed at the conduct and economic incentives driving the litigation. Fletcher was the architect behind the strategy that led to two civil RICO cases: one against Simmons Hanly Conroy and Sokolove Law and another against The Gori Law Firm. He also joined litigation seeking to prevent the destruction of asbestos bankruptcy trust records, and drove an appellate strategy that resulted in four significant victories for J-MM.
Earlier, as General Counsel of Nero, Fletcher developed and helped execute the strategy that resulted in a significant federal appellate victory in JVC Kenwood Corp. v. Nero, Inc., 797 F.3d 1039 (Fed. Cir. 2015) regarding third-party patents. This case ultimately helped lower the cost of audio and visual products to consumers. His career also includes senior legal positions at Sun Microsystems and Zoran Corporation.
These experiences led Fletcher to a broader conclusion: litigation costs extend far beyond defendants and insurers. Ultimately, employees, consumers, businesses, communities, and the American economy bear these costs.
Fletcher left J-MM to create End Lawsuit Abuse and apply what he learned confronting litigation abuse at one company to a much larger problem.
The goal is straightforward: legitimate claims deserve a fair hearing. The civil justice system should serve clients and the public — not become a business model designed primarily to maximize attorney profits.