REI shirks responsibility & appeals Monika Johnson case

Um..no..she brought it up in the very first post.

If you decide to lead a route at your limit, can't do the moves, take a fall and hurt yourself, do you blame the guy who caused the the rockfall that hit your head a few months earlier?

FYI note the dedication of the website. Monika has since died in an unrelated incident (unless you consider how the fork failure may have contributed to cognitive function damage) this past season.

People need to know what kind of a company REI really is...

I'm not on board with the argument that failure to consent to the existing judgments is failure to "do the right thing".

From my perspective, a ruling isn't final until it's been exhaustively argued, and that means in all available courts.

Realistically, it hasn't yet been fully decided in a court of law that REI is responsible, because the full court process is not complete.

What's the point of having an appeals process if defendants are expected to not use it? How is this different than someone being convicted of a crime? Doesn't the defendant have the right to explore all legal avenues of opposition?

As an abstract principle, I fully agree.
When you look at the uncontested facts, however, REI sold a defective bike under it's trademark and is denying liability, saying in effect that the plaintiff should recover from REI's Chinese manufacturer?!
(Apparently REI did rather meekly attempt to contest liability by providing an expert who speculated that perhaps a separate accident from years before could have caused the bike failure--the court found that REI's expert's testimony was so speculative that it was essentially useless and that there was no need for a trial to determine liability.)

Lots of misinformation on this thread, but I think the above is both accurate and explains why many people are rightfully pissed at REI for this. We don't need to indict the legal system, the insurance industry, the principles of limited liability upon which modern society is founded, etc. etc. to see that REI is acting like crap in this instance.

You're writing as if the insured is Joe Blow car owner who gets into a crash. In that situation, I generally agree with your thoughts. But that has little if anything to do with a products liability suit when the insured is a megacorop such as REI.

I do defense work but not insurance defense. I also represent plaintiffs.

I think its important from both perspectives to slow the case down to address liability and damages. There was no rush while Ms. Johnson was alive, as healthcare providers serve liens and we are required to pay the bills (at a significantly reduced percentage) once the case settles or after judgment. There is no reason to pretend immediate payment should be required once someone alleges an injury. Too many questions need to be answered.

Now that she is deceased the urgency (which never existed) is surely gone.

The simple and incontrovertible fact in most of these cases is that the public tends to think of this as a moral or even a legal issue, but the entire mo fo is driven exclusively by finances.

REI's job is to limit their payout. That's what a company does for the most part. The attorneys will wrangle the cases this way and that so long as money is flowing their way. Cut the flow and they are gone, as is their "concern," which is a commodity, not a sentiment.

The reason REI doesn't "do the right thing" pay their claim is that involves money transferring from their hands to others, and REI is a ratailer who collects money. They do not disbuse it. Their whole business is set up like that. It's not personal. It's business. Expecting REI to be person is absurd. They won't pay a red cent till the last moment. Watch and see.

There's no morality play here. There should be, but as is, it's just dollars and cents.

JL

I think it's generally good business to stand behind the product you sell, and particularly so if it's your exclusive brand. Think of the Craftsman tool guarantee. [...]

REI's actions here tell me that it doesn't really stand behind Novarra bicycles. Forks and headsets shouldn't break like that. [...]