`titanic' Sailed Sea Of Doubts To Triumph

Alfred Lencoski 
January 25, 1998 
Alfred A. Lencoski, 86, Of South Bound Brook, N.j., Died Sunday In The 
Greenbrook Manor Nursing Home.

Tuesday, January 27, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Legal red tape is choking simple justice, public's well-being &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Do these lawyers have a good gig, or what? If you haven't noticed, we've
gotten to the point where we can't even settle a petty dispute or neighborhood
squabble without threatening to call a lawyerSo you think the teacher unfairly
slapped your son with a detention? Don't talk to her or the principal. Call
your lawyer if you want real results. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Slip on a wet floor at the grocery? They've got insurance for that stuff.
Just say you didn't see that big yellow sign and didn't expect the floor to be
so slippery, even though everyone had tracked slush inside. Call your lawyer
and split the easy money. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Got a nasty gash on your arm because you dislodged that cumbersome safety
feature on the chain saw? That's a no-brainer. Not the accident, but what to
do: Sue the company, of course. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A lawyer could certainly make a good case for Annette Richardson of
Nanticoke. She claims she bit into a cigarette butt after a quick stop at a
fast-food drive through. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Richardson isn't after money. She's just trying to get the restaurant
chain to say it will look into the problem so it won't happen again. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Seems easy enough. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But in this day of con artists and frivolous lawsuits, nothing is easy
anymore. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At least that's what Richardson has learned. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 This is a story about her struggle to resolve- without lawyers- a complaint
with a big company. There's really no need to name the restaurant here.
(Besides, I'm trying to write this without getting more lawyers involved.
That's why I won't say anything bad about red meat, fruits or vegetables,
either.) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Like any mom in a hurry, Richardson was eating behind the wheel one day
last month. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Suddenly, she says she bit into something she just couldn't chew- a
cigarette filter. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I spit it into my fingers ... there was no paper, just fibers and it was
charred on the side," she says. "It apparently had been finished and crushed." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When she got home, Richardson called the chain's 800-number and tossed the
food and filter in the freezer in case the health department would want it for
testing. She's called several governmental agencies and sent a letter to the
Agriculture Department, which told her to save the item. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A few days later, Richardson says, the store manager called and offered to
refund the money she paid for the food, as long as she turned over the
evidence. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's going to the health department," Richardson says she told the
manager. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 His response? "`I could refer you to our legal department,"' Richardson
says. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But she doesn't want to deal with corporate lawyers. She just wants an
explanation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Instead, Richardson says there have been taped telephone interviews and a
wordy letter from corporate lawyers, which directed her to send "the alleged
foreign object" by overnight or certified mail. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "If we don't have a response within 30 days, we will assume you are not
pursuing the claim and will close the file," the letter states, according to
Richardson. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It says nothing about them looking into how it got there," Richardson
says. "It's like, `Sue us now or don't sue us.' " &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I suppose that's the attitude restaurant chains have to take when folks win
big bucks over spilled coffee. There are lots of people- and lawyers- who'd
see dollar signs in that cigarette filter. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That is why Richardson has run into a legal wall. We can't even address the
smallest problems without affidavits and subpoenas. And all the while we grow
leery of everything and everyone. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Richardson just wants to make sure no one else bites into an old cigarette.
She's probably wondering if she should'

Legal Red Tape Is Choking Simple Justice, Public's Well-being 
Do These Lawyers Have A Good Gig, Or What? If You Haven't Noticed, We've 
Gotten To The Point Where We Can't Even Settle A Petty Dispute Or Neighborhood 
Squabble Without Threatening To Call A Lawyer.

Legal Red Tape Is Choking Simple Justice, Public's Well-being Do These Lawyers Have A Good Gig, Or What? If You Haven't Noticed, We've Gotten To The Point Where We Can't Even Settle A Petty Dispute Or Neighborhood Squabble Without Threatening To Call A Lawyer.