== $.178 BILLION LAWYER FEE FOR SINGLE COURT CASE ==
Namaskar,
In the aftermath of the Twin Towers attack, i.e. 9/11, thousands of
rescue workers arrived to the scene to help those trapped inside - in
that course some rescuers died and many got sick, hurt or injured.
In the aftermath, years later, 10,000 people now claim illnesses from
rescue, recovery and debris removal following the attack.
Such victims suffered from all kinds of health hazards and diseases like
blood cancer, severe asthma, upper respiratory illnesses, lung cancer,
throat cancer and so many other horrible conditions and syndromes.
Indeed their lives were devastated and totally ruined: They lost their
jobs, suffered innumerable health problems like cancer and depression,
became alienated, and underwent mental anxiety and economic hardship.
In order to get compensation from the government, those 10,000 people
collectively filed a court case. And government awarded them 712.5
million dollars in total.
Immediately, the law firm demanded $237 million ($237,000,000 or 1/4 of
a billion dollars) from the victims - an absolutely huge amount whereas,
on average, each victim will receive just $53,450. Needless to say there
is a huge disparity between the lawyer fees and what those victims were
awarded.
If those lawyers were true human beings their hearts would have been
touched by the pain, agony and torment of those victims - as their lives
will never be the same again - and with that sympathy those lawyers
would have accepted a small fee or donated their time entirely. Instead
those lawyers are demanding and getting a lion's share of the settlement
amount. Not only are they unsympathetic but they are exploiting the
situation to a maximal degree.
Baba says the following about the mentality of such lawyers.
THE LOWLY MENTALITY OF MOST LAWYERS
Baba says, "The popular allegation that lawyers earn their living by
deceiving others and by encouraging litigation...we can say that in
general most lawyers would like disputes in society to continue." (HS-1)
In His above teaching, Baba clearly states that lawyer thrive on social
discord because by this way they earn more money. Similarly, those
lawyers in the 9/11 case are eager for human disasters and accidents as
they are able to earn a hefty fee.
And indeed Baba's below story leads in this same direction.
Baba says, "After the abolition of the zamindary system in a certain
state of India, a lawyer complained to me, “Before the abolition of the
zamindary system, there were constant lawsuits between one zamindar and
another as well as between a zamindar and the people under his
jurisdiction, and we used to earn money from this. But now the people
who used to be under the jurisdiction of a zamindar do not have to come
to court, and the number of civil and criminal cases has
declined.”...the nature of his profession encouraged him to support
disturbances, feuds and murder." (HS-1)
Hence, just as the lawyer in Baba's above example benefited from the
exploitative era of that old zamindary system and craved disputes
between the zamindars in order to make money, the lawyers in the
aforementioned 9/11case viewed that human catastrophe as an
opportunistic moment to secure a huge fee of 237 million dollars.
LAWYERS EARN MONEY IN TWO WAYS
Here below Baba describes more about how many lawyers earn a living.
According to Baba, very often, lawyers earn money in two basic ways. In
the first approach, they get guilty people acquitted.
Baba says, "Though they understand the magnitude of their clients’
crimes, competent lawyers, due solely to financial greed, use their
intelligence and clever arguments to get criminals honourably acquitted.
Such actions certainly do not help to preserve the purity of society.
Are not those who lead society into the quagmire of sin in order to
further their individual interest and for financial gain as guilty as
criminals? If, in the eyes of the law, associating with evil people is
regarded as an evil, the attempt to help criminals avoid corrective
measures...is most certainly an antisocial action." (HS-1)
Thus Baba groups such lawyers as being "as guilty as criminals".
In the next category, Baba states how lawyers get innocent people
charged with a crime.
Baba says, "Sometimes criminal leaders derive sadistic satisfaction from
seeing innocent people victimized. Cunning lawyers, when they become
directly responsible for the victimization of innocent people,
definitely commit a greater crime than criminals." (HS-1)
Those lawyers who resort to this nasty tactic are actually worse than
criminals, according to Baba.
MORE ABOUT THE RECENT COURT CASE
Now let's revisit what has occurred in this recent 9/11 court case. So
many rescuers suffered terribly and their lives have been shattered. In
response, the judge issued a $712.5 million verdict for the 10,000
workers who claim illnesses from rescue, recovery and debris removal
following the attack.
It sounds like a perfect outcome as those suffering will get much needed
economic support.
But those lawyers immediately demanded $237 million, or 1/4 of billion
dollars. That is an absolutely huge amount of money. Seeing this, the
judge admonished the law firm and ruled that they should "only" get 25%
of the settlement, not the usual 33%. Thus in the end the legal team got
$178 million.
If we look at the big picture, it is quiet evident that the judge hardly
changed the lawyer fees at all. $178 million is still an outrageous
amount of money for one single case.
That means those lawyers received exponentially more than the victims.
Because there were 10,000 victims who suffered terrible due to 9/11 and
they were awarded peanuts in comparison to those lawyers.
The victims who suffered major or life-threatening health problems
received on average 53,450, a mere fraction of near quarter billion
dollars given to those lawyers. That law firm earned 3,330 times what
each victim got. That's right not double or triple but 3,330 times more
than the amount given to the victims.
And what about this: those victims with no qualifying injury but who
fear becoming sick received $3,250. In that case the lawyers earned
5,375 times what those victims got.
In their entire lifetime, after working 40 years, the average American
will never save 1 million dollars, yet in one court case that law firm
received 178 million dollars.
Perhaps the most dramatic point of all is that the entire US and the
American court system has tremendous sympathy for those who suffered
from the 9/11 attacks, hence those lawyers did not have to work hard on
that case. It was inevitable that those victims would receive a big
verdict. In fact, there was probably no need for a law team at all.
But now that law firm is taking 178 millions dollars from the victims
verdict - that is money which those victims will not get.
The fact that the judge reduced the legal fee from 33% ($237 million) to
25% ($172 million) was just a token action. It hardly changed anything.
That firm is profiting greatly from others' suffering.
In certain circumstances, Baba says lawyers do indeed have work in the
society such as bringing culprits into justice. But in this case that
opportunistic law firm is taking $`178 millions dollars from those who
suffered terribly and will suffer so long as they are alive.
The outcome of the case was obvious - it was a winning case from the
outset. The lawyers involved need not do much or convince anybody.
Already the plaintiffs (i..e those 9/11 victims) had the sympathy of the
entire American public.
Such lawyers are themselves criminals for taking money away from those
suffering victims.
Baba in no way supports such astronomical lawyering fees. Such greedy
lawyers are exploiting humanity and the judge involved did not stop this
from happening by reducing the fee by a mere 8 percentage points.
Let us once again review Baba's teaching:
Baba says, "The popular allegation that lawyers earn their living by
deceiving others and by encouraging litigation..." (HS-1)
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace He is setting a new pathway in all realms of life -
include law and the way lawyers operate. The present manner - wherein
lawyers create social discord and tension in order to get a big salary
or rake in huge profits on human suffering like the 9/11 case - is not
to be tolerated. By educating the public about Ananda Marga ideals, such
injustices and exploitation will come to a halt. Lawyers will not be
granted scope to get such payments - rather people will understand such
lawyers for whom they are.
Baba says, "People’s means of livelihood should not depend on the
quarrel of individuals, as in the case of lawyers. Lawyers usually set
one person against another and in this way they serve their personal
interests...the scriptures stipulate that people should not accept food
from such people, because their occupations are despicable." (SS-11)
Namaskar,
Ishvara
Note 1: HOW LAWYERS HARBOR POLITICAL AMBITION
At present, now in the USA, most high government officials are lawyers.
Here Baba points out their self-serving ways.
Baba says, "Most of them [lawyers] do not aim to serve their country but
simply to solve their personal problems. They think, “It would be good
if I could further my political ambition. One day I may be elected a
member of parliament or even become a minister. If this does not happen
it does not matter, because my work situation will still improve due to
the political support of my party.” Today educated people can easily
understand the motives behind their fiery lectures. Very little
investigation is required to reveal that in democratic countries
politics is full of lawyers who were unable to secure briefs. No other
profession than this has so much scope to exploit people in the name of
public service." (HS-1)
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Ajapa - Japa & Adhyana - Dhyana
Baba says, "If a man constantly chants his japa mantra or meditates
ceaselessly, then the rhythm of this japa, the rhythm that adores the
Guru during dhyana, will act as auto-suggestion during the time of
sleep, although he does not remember it...A sadhaka with this capacity
continues his dhyana and japa even in sleep. This kind of japa is called
"Ajapa' Japa"; that is to say, without performing japa, one is actually
performing it. And it is called "Adhya'na' Dhyana", which means that
without actually meditating, the act of meditation is going on." (YP,
1991 Edn, p. 150-51)
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