Miami Herald Archives - Yaël Ossowski

Added on 5 November, 2020 Miami Herald

Public-nuisance lawsuits stifle innovation, and consumers ultimately foot the bill

With arcane rule changes and different policies on absentee voting, we are bracing for lawsuits and recounts that could keep both presidential candidates’ legal teams busy until New Year’s. For once, thankfully, it will not be Florida’s fault. This is another reminder of how much we have allowed our country to be captured by the legal profession. Whether it’s elections, climate change or the latest corporate scandal, lawsuits have become as American as apple pie. In the past year alone, personal injury or tort lawsuits have risen more than 7 percent to a whopping 73,000 a year, according to the […]

Added on 4 June, 2020 Miami Herald

America loves lawsuits. So why can’t you sue a cop for excessive force?

Across the country, people of all backgrounds are in the streets to seek justice. They feel let down by their institutions, their cities and their nation. They’re not wrong. The shocking death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has awoken many Americans to the pressing issues of police accountability and racial justice. For a lawsuit-frenzied country, one would think there would be an overwhelming number of lawsuits filed against police officers who abused their power. But that’s not the case, because of a little-known legal doctrine called “qualified immunity.” It effectively shields all civil servants from being sued for actions they […]

Added on 23 December, 2019 Miami Herald

Florida should crack down on frivolous lawsuits, costly verdicts

In a time of bitter division in our country, it’s refreshing to see partisan flags fall and elected leaders rally to improve our institutions and make our communities better off and more secure. In Florida and dozens of other states, that mantra of late has been “criminal-justice reform.” Florida’s 2019 reforms sought to rehabilitate rather than punish, giving new opportunities to nonviolent offenders who’ve done their time and are ready to transition back into society. That includes training programs and job opportunities, but also more-compassionate treatment of the accused while still providing swift justice to victims. In a time of bitter division […]

Added on 27 February, 2019 Miami Herald

Dental therapists are no free market solution to dental woes

The current state of dental care in Florida is a mess. Florida lawmakers are right to address it. However, the proposed solution of midlevel providers called dental therapists in SB 1498 misses the mark and is anything but a market solution. Dental therapists require less training and education than dentists and can perform a fraction of dental procedures. Thus far, the only functional dental therapist program is in Minnesota, created in 2011. But the same issues in dental care persist: costs are high, dental professionals in rural areas are lacking, and insurance is hard to come by. Recent polls conducted in Arizona and Wisconsin found that […]