but not for me.
Last June, Robert Bork tripped and fell while ascending the platform for a speech at New York City's Yale Club. Despite banging his head and bruising his leg, he made it up the platform and delivered a speech to the New Criterion Club.
But now, the former judge is suing the Yale Club for $1 million, accusing the Club of "wanton, willful and reckless disregard for the safety of its guests":
"Because of the unreasonable height of the dais, without stairs or a handrail, Mr. Bork fell backward as he attempted to mount the dais, striking his left leg on the side of the dais and striking his head on the heat register," the lawsuit said.
Bork underwent surgery and physical therapy, the suit said, and he still limps and uses a cane.
Now, my mother is only a few years shy of Bork's 80 years, and she's had a few nasty spills herself--one that dislocated her shoulder and required surgery, and another that bruised her ribs. So I'm not one to minimize the danger of an elderly person's falling.
On the other hand, my mother never claimed that "abusive litigation" and "excessive damage awards" are "national problems" that demanded federal tort reform. (source)
But alas, she's not a member of the IOKIYAR club.
More from the Chronicle of Higher Ed.