The Legal System Ranks Near the Bottom of Business Concerns
Small business surveys consistently show that lawsuits, or the “cost” of lawsuits, is an issue of less importance to small businesses than almost any issue they could possibly face. These surveys conducted by membership business organizations and business entities show that rank and file small businesses virtually always put “lawsuits” or “liability” at the bottom of their list of concerns – if they are mentioned at all.
- The MetLife & U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s recent survey of small businesses reveals that more than half of small business owners cite inflation as their top concern. Other top concerns included revenue and workforce readiness. Neither the threat of lawsuits nor protection from liability were mentioned.1
- The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) asked its members to check their primary business challenges from a list of options. Trade uncertainties moved to the top of the list of manufacturers’ concerns followed by increased raw material costs and taxes. Lawsuits were never mentioned.2
- According to a survey done by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), The “Cost and Frequency of Lawsuits/Threatened Lawsuits” now ranks an extraordinary 72nd of 75 concerns on the list.3
Businesses primary concerns tend to be workforce skills, incentives, state and local taxes, transportation infrastructure, land/building prices and supply, workforce development, utilities (cost, reliability), higher education resources, ease of permitting and regulatory procedure and quality of life rather than any threat of lawsuits.
Insurance companies and huge corporations are simply creating fear to blemish our court system and discourage individuals from pursuing justice when they are injured or killed due to the negligence of others.
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1 MetLife & U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index Q1, March 2025. https://www.uschamber.com/sbindex/summary
2 National Association of Manufacturers, Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey Q1 2025. https://nam.org/survey-trade-policies-shake-up-manufacturers-economic-outlook-33451/?stream=policy-legal
3 National Federation of Independent Business, Small Business Problems & Priorities, July 2024, https://nfib.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2024-Small-Business-Problems-Priorities.pdf
PDF Fact Sheet: The Legal System Ranks Near the Bottom of Business Concerns
