There are thousands of lawsuits that occur in the United States every day. They can vary from bankruptcy cases to private nuisances. Lawsuits give people an opportunity to recoup for damages from individuals or businesses. This is one of the methods used to resolve problems of opposing parties. Any business or company must have risk management that would be able to prevent actions that may lead to a lawsuit. In order to cope with such cases and prevent them in the future, management should have good knowledge of law, be experienced and communicative. It is necessary, therefore, to find out essential tools and methods that will help to pursue alternate resolutions of an issue before it came into court. Lawsuit can be filed for tort actions, private nuisance, breach of contract, or family division. Georgia differs from other US states in that it allows attorneys to be present in the court during small claims’ hearings, which can range from car damages to unpaid bank loans.
Lawsuits in Georgia
According to the Insurance Journal, a specific incident in 2008 took place in Atlanta, Georgia (Lawsuit filed over Atlanta Bridge collapse, 2010). The newspaper reported that a construction worker was killed and three workers were injured at the Botanical Garden in Atlanta, when a pedestrian bridge collapsed in 2008.
The widow of a 66-year-old man who died because of this accident has filed a lawsuit against the construction and attraction companies (Lawsuit filed over Atlanta Bridge collapse, 2010). Three injured workers did the same. The lawsuits accused the Atlanta Botanical Garden and several construction companies that they were not able to protect builders of the “Canopy Walk”, which they were building. All four workers were working on a contract. Later, in December of the same year, 18 workers got injured during construction at the same place. They also filed lawsuits against these companies. The work of builders is always dangerous, and they are protected by law while working. During the mentioned accidents, workers have got serious injuries, like fractures and spinal injuries. Later, three of the construction companies that were involved in the construction got fines from $5, 000 to $15,000. They were accused that they did not properly inspect the equipment of the walkway`s construction. The administration representatives also reported that the cause of the accident could have been both towers that were placed in a very long distance from each other.
Unfortunately, similar injuries occur in Georgia and other U.S. states because of the bad safety protection or architectural mistakes. In such cases people are prone to file a lawsuit not just because they need money or revenge (Edwards, 2011). These are, as a rule, legitimate problems that need to be solved in the court, because there are no any other means. This process may be rather expensive and time-consuming for both parties. Citizens should be aware of their legitimate rights to file a lawsuit. Georgia employees may bring their complaints into the courts in different situations when they consider that their rights are violated by their employers or other business authorities or co-workers.
When a company or its leaders are found to be guilty in different conflicts and cases, there is an urgent need for them to investigate the causes that lead to certain situations. The research reported that management should find out proper techniques and methods to prevent such situations in the future. When accidents happen, the company may lose its authority, customers` trust, and, as a result, it will lose its profitability. That may have bad consequences to the company`s reputation, because each accident is widely discussed in public. Risk management should determine a proper decision on how to act in such cases. The best way to prevent risky situations is to follow strict directions and instructions in order to protect workers and the company from accidents and, therefore, from lawsuits in the future.
It is worth mentioning that there could be different types of lawsuits in the workplaces. Any breach of contract can be a reason of a lawsuit. When business professionals act in ways that deviate from established rules, standards, policies, and procedures, they jeopardize the wealth and safety of their employees, customers or partners. Often managers face challenges that require them to protect people`s interests in terms of their ethical obligations. It is usually difficult to combine their professional self-interests with the ethical norms and standards. Therefore, risk managers have to find out a compromise to handle this problem in order to protect their clients and employees. Among other challenges, risk managers may witness that a number of standards and regulations may be ignored or violated (Gibb, 2011). The task of proper risk management is to provide organizational management and good communication techniques in order to handle difficult situations and support those whose rights were violated. It is also important to pursue alternate resolutions instead of filing a lawsuit every time it is possible.
As mentioned above, lawsuits are rather time-consuming and unpleasant for both parties. As far as reasons for the suit may be different, management has to find out the ways and resources to prevent similar cases in the future. Therefore, only professional and knowledgeable managers can handle these situations. While working with people, it is important to understand that they may be from different backgrounds and culture; thus, their approaches and attitudes may be different. If risk managers know how to handle conflicting situations, they would be of great importance and value to the company.
Due to the local lawsuits, different businesses in Georgia are losing a lot of money. Nobody knows the exact number, but it is obvious that such situations are not welcomed by managers and business leaders. Though, it is a well-known fact that life is unpredictable. There are some situations and circumstances that may lead to various accidents. No matter how these accidents have happened – accidently or in purpose, when the situation occurs, it may lead to a lawsuit. Good managers will be able to pursue alternate resolution using their life and working experience. In some cases, life experience may be more essential than professional skills.
In order to identify some peculiarities of filing lawsuits in Georgia, it is worth mentioning that according to the research, this state does not prohibit attorneys to stay in the court during small claims hearings (Gibb,2011). Attorneys may even file lawsuits for their customers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is worth noting that practically every company in Georgia faces the challenges of lawsuits. The reasons for them may be different. In cases of accidents at the workplaces, the role of risk management is very important. Well-experienced managers are able to solve conflicts out of the court, if they know how to act. The research asserts that in order to prevent lawsuits, it is important to follow company`s instructions, rules, standards, and directions. If an accident happens, managers are supposed to support their employees in difficult situations. It is rather important to act according to ethical norms, taking into consideration that people may be from different backgrounds, culture, and races. In certain situations, proper risk management can prevent people from going to the court, which will save the business from poor reputation. There are, obviously, many techniques and methods that should be used properly by managers.