In this episode, Therese Markow and Elizabeth Burch discuss Elizabeth's new book, "The Pain Brokers: How Con Men, Call Centers, and Rogue Doctors Fuel America's Lawsuit Factory," which exposes a scheme where con artists, attorneys, and rogue doctors exploited women through mass torts involving pelvic mesh implants. Elizabeth explains how mass torts differ from class actions and explains how attorneys earn contingency fees. Throughout the episode, they discuss the ways in which the scheme was perpetuated and how vulnerable women were exploited by a data breach in India.
Key Takeaways:
A tort is a harm, such as a punch or a car accident. A mass tort is when those harms happen on a large scale.
Mass torts can be a goldmine for lawyers (and there is a convention held twice a year regarding mass torts in Las Vegas). This can be concerning as more states are allowing law firms to be owned, even partially, by non-lawyers.
Many of the women involved with this mass tort were conned by people who had their specific information, including birth dates, surgery dates, and other medical information. It created a lot of confusion for many.
"You can imagine that your scam detector would probably go off if someone called you and asked you for that information. But if someone calls you and they already know your birth date and the name of your implanting doctor and the type of mesh that you have and exactly when you had the surgery and where you had the surgery, then all of a sudden it feels a lot more legitimate." — Elizabeth Burch
Connect with Elizabeth Burch:
Professional Bio: https://www.elizabethchambleeburch.com/about
Website: https://www.elizabethchambleeburch.com/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/eburch.bsky.social
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethcburch/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethcburch/
X: https://x.com/elizabethcburch
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ECBurch/
Pre-Order The Pain Brokers: How Con Men, Call Centers, and Rogue Doctors Fuel America's Lawsuit Factory here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Pain-Brokers/Elizabeth-Chamblee-Burch/9781668068861
Connect with Therese:
Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net
Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social
Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast
Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.
