Mass Tort Lawyer Running for Governor of Mississippi

"If it wasn't your fault or an act of God then someone must be held responsible."

This paean to overlitigiousness is the pitch made to prospective clients on the John Arthur Eaves Law Firm website, now advertising for Benzene, Bextra, Vioxx, Celebrex, terrorism, and nursing home cases.  It is not an accurate statement of tort law, of course, unless one interprets "act of God" to include all those slings and arrows that do not give rise to legitimate legal claims.

John Arthur Eaves, Jr., a prominent Mississippi plaintiffs' lawyer, may not interpret "act of God" broadly when evaluating potential tort claims, but apparently he is playing the God card for all it's worth in his effort to unseat Republican Governor Haley Barbour.  A story on the front page of today's New York Times outlines the difficulties faced by a Democrat in Mississippi, and Eaves' strategy of emphasizing his born-again Christian fervor and his corresponding positions on issues such as school prayer and abortion.  The Times article mentions that Eaves has largely self-financed his campaign with wealth acquired from representing asbestos plaintiffs.  Today's Wall Street Journal Law Blog echoes the Times article, adding a choice passage about Eaves' religiosity from the campaign web site.  Overlawyered has comments, as well.

HME