Product Liability:
Verdicts in Massachusetts for 1983-85
HRD-91-8: Published: Oct 26, 1990. Publicly Released: Oct 26, 1990.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
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GAO provided information on 66 product liability cases resolved in Massachusetts between 1983 and 1985, focusing on the: (1) accidents, parties, plaintiffs' allegations and demands, and case processing time; (2) rate and size of awards; and (3) frequency of post-trial award adjustments and the size of actual payments to plaintiffs.
GAO found that, in Massachusetts: (1) most accidents involved machinery, where plaintiffs suffered personal injury mainly due to alleged defendant negligence; (2) case processing time was longer than that in four other states despite the requirement of prejudgment interest accrual for quick resolution; (3) defendants' liability rates were lower than those in four other states, but extremely large awards accounted for the majority of the total amount awarded; (4) no punitive damages were awarded, since they were limited to death cases; and (5) post-trial action reduced payments by 23 percent despite the addition of prejudgment interest.
Jan 31, 2018
Small Business Research Programs:
Agencies Need to Take Steps to Assess Progress Toward Commercializing TechnologiesGAO-18-207: Published: Jan 31, 2018. Publicly Released: Jan 31, 2018.
Jan 4, 2018
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Small Business Contracting:
SBA Efforts May Clarify the Assignment of Industry Codes, and Most Code Appeals Were DismissedGAO-18-76: Published: Dec 5, 2017. Publicly Released: Jan 4, 2018.
Dec 19, 2017
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Drug Industry:
Profits, Research and Development Spending, and Merger and Acquisition DealsGAO-18-40: Published: Nov 17, 2017. Publicly Released: Dec 19, 2017.
Oct 25, 2017
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Small Business Contracting:
Actions Needed to Demonstrate Compliance with Requirements for Small Business AdvocatesGAO-18-191T: Published: Oct 25, 2017. Publicly Released: Oct 25, 2017.
Sep 25, 2017
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Small Business Contracting:
Actions Needed to Demonstrate and Better Review Compliance with Select Requirements for Small Business AdvocatesGAO-17-675: Published: Aug 25, 2017. Publicly Released: Sep 25, 2017.
Jun 30, 2017
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Small Business Administration:
Government Contracting and Business Development Processes and Rule-Making ActivitiesGAO-17-573: Published: Jun 30, 2017. Publicly Released: Jun 30, 2017.
Jun 29, 2017
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Puerto Rico:
Información sobre Tendencias y Retos de Pequeñas Empresas en el Ámbito de Contratación FederalGAO-17-705: Published: Jun 29, 2017. Publicly Released: Jun 29, 2017. -
Puerto Rico:
Information on Trends and Challenges to Small Business Federal ContractingGAO-17-550: Published: Jun 29, 2017. Publicly Released: Jun 29, 2017.
Jun 15, 2017
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Memory Supplements:
Clarifying FDA and FTC Roles Could Strengthen Oversight and Enhance Consumer AwarenessGAO-17-416: Published: May 16, 2017. Publicly Released: Jun 15, 2017.
May 31, 2017
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Small Business Research Programs:
Most Agencies Met Spending Requirements, but DOD and EPA Need to Improve Data ReportingGAO-17-453: Published: May 31, 2017. Publicly Released: May 31, 2017.
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