American Rule

Wasn't this the slogan as we Manifest Destiny'd? Hm. Maybe not.

Perhaps unintentionally, this rule encourages spurious litigation by requiring each party in a lawsuit to pay its own attorneys’ fees (as opposed to “English Rule,” which requires the losing party to pay both sides’ legal fees, increasing the downside of bringing, losing, a frivolous claim).

So if you, or someone who owes you a big favor, are a lawyer, consider suing a corporate giant like McDonald’s for negligence because they served you hot coffee that burned you. Odds are that Mickey D’s legal costs for a trial would outweigh yours and you may get a settlement for an amount somewhere in the middle of those two amounts. Win-win.