A classy action

The Rosenbaum family has done something wonderful. You may recall how the death of New York Times reporter David Rosenbaum was partially attributable to the failure of D.C. emergency medical personnel to determine the real cause of his problem a blow to the head instead of drunkenness and their subsequent decision not to take him to the nearest emergency room, but to a hospital that just happened to be conveniently located on their way home. Rosenbaum's family had filed a $20 million suit against the city. But they have offered to forgo the money in return for a commitment by the city to improve emergency services within one year.

Wouldn't it be lovely if more litigants sought solutions to a problem, instead of big bucks? Unfortunately, it is hard to imagine lawyers, practically tasting their third or more of a juicy verdict, agreeing to take cases that might be settled the Rosenbaum way.

Charles Peters is the founding editor of the Washington Monthly and the president of Understanding Government, a nonprofit dedicated to better government through better reporting.

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