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New York City paid out almost a half-billion dollars in judgements or to settle lawsuits against the city in fiscal 2006. The New York Post analyzed a report released by the City Comptroller's office that showed that the $496.4 million the city spent on lawsuits was less than the nearly $530 million it spent the prior year. The largest portion of the funds went to settle malpractice lawsuits incurred by city-run hospitals. $155.8 million of the total went towards malpractice suits, with 36 individual cases involving payouts of $1 million or more.
Malpractice claims against the city usually take between five and 10 years to settle, and the comptroller's report says that the 669 new claims filed against the Health and Hospitals Corp. in fiscal 1996 represented the lowest number in a decade. Unfortunately, the 5,634 claims filed against the NYPD was the highest number ever. Nearly half of all new claims against the city were related to the NYPD or the Dept. of Transportation. For some perspective, the current fiscal year budget for the city is $59.0 billion, meaning that almost 1% of the entire budget is related to settling lawsuits against the city and its various agencies. The city's fiscal year ends June 30th.
(Graphic from the New York Post)
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I'm impressed with the low amount of claims against HHC considering how large the system is.
QUESTION:
if you hired a plumber and his screw ups cost you millions in damages, would you expect HIM to reimburse you?
What crooks like Rudy Dinkins-BLoomberg do is BEYOND CRIMINAL:
they not only won't curb govt corruption / incompetency (and malpractice isn't hard to resolve, duh; they know what the problem is but, like homelessness, they have no desire to find the will to Do Something), they then STEAL BILLIONS from you people and you just sit there and take it.
Will Gothamist begin a campaign to promote mine and Mark Green and Alan Hevesi's easy solutions to this crime by City Hall?
DUH:
1.
if the NYPD breaks any laws, much of the suit money MUST come out of the mayor and police commissioner's pockets. MAKE IT LAW via referendum. (See: term limits law)
2.
100% of the suit money MUST come out of the sued agency's budget and NOT the General Tax Fund.
This will not only save us 100% of that money insantly, it will finally create INCENTIVES to stop breaking the law.
If Ray Kerik, er, Kelly had to pay most of his income every time cops break laws, you can bet police corruption would end REAL FUCKING FAST.
If the 9 million Louima got totally came out of the NYPD's budget, there is no way in hell cops would look the other way when a Justin Volpe goes ape.
It's called "accountability" and Rudy DinkinsBloomberg despise the concept.
But if the Gothamist won't lift a finger to fix NYC and neither will any of you, then why the fuck am I even posting this shit.
YOU PEOPLE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE GOVT (AND MEDIA) YOU HAVE TODAY.
Will you ever fight for your rights?
Nope.
Bush and BLoomberg aren't the problem.
YOU are.
GiulianiScandals.blogspot.com
mayorbrodeur.org
100 INNOVATIONS FOR NYC
then why the fuck am I even posting this shit.
Good question.
Good point "Cxb" ! As far as it's concerned, I do fight for my rights . The reason the City has to pay-out so much in settlements has to do with a combination of Greed, Incompetence, & Stupidity ! It's easy for the City to settle lawsuits against them because it's not there money, It's Ur's ! Maybe if the City did a minimal job of maintaining common problems about half of those "Slip, & Fall" Suits don't materialize ! I digress, It's pointless to gripe on this issue as long as we have people in control that just don't give a fuck about anybody else but themselves ! Posted by; "Still Not Amused"
so all the payouts/settlements come out of a general tax fund? Not Insurance? so, it's just money out of the till, they don't care it's not their money.
but then who would underwrite such a policy.
Who you ask ? More like why ? The Answer, Whether it's labeled "Insurance", OR "Tax" it's coming from the same source ! Our Pockets ! Posted by; "Still Not Amused"