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A recent article discusses an important issue in public pension and health plans — a lack of transparency. I realize this topic is a change from my normal posts discussing personal injury issues such as car accidents and work comp claims. But, it’s an important issue. It’s one important to Alabama. And, it’s one I’ve explored in a recent case representing a local healthcare business in Alabama with significant damages.
While the article discusses public plans in Kentucky, the issues also apply in Alabama. Some of our public plans have similar problems. What are two of the transparency problems we’ve discovered in our case? They are:
These are important issues. Conflicts of interest and favoritism in government contracts should be a public concern.
Although I’m discussing the issue in the context of a business case, this issue also applies in personal injury cases. Through the years, we’ve handled numerous car accident claims where roadway safety issues existed. We’ve handled numerous personal injury and work comp claims on government construction sites. Transparency is frequently an issue in public contracts. The bidding, award and safety processes should be transparent and beyond question. Too often, they are not. Too often, safety is sacrificed. This creates unsafe conditions that cause needless injury. Transparency in public contracts is an important issue in preventing needless personal injuries and damages to the people and business involved.
What is most disappointing about this process in our current case? When these bad issues were discovered, public officials seemed more concerned with saving face than actually fixing the problem. They even met with the other side to coordinate strategy and talking points. Embarrassment is no excuse for ignoring wrongdoing. We should expect better from our public officials and the companies handling public money.