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Should Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) be legally allowed when public safety is involved?
Example: Auto Manufacturer A (AMA) puts faulty brakes in one of their models for three model years. Brakes failures occur and injuries and deaths occur, spurring multiple lawsuits. AMA, for various reasons, settles each lawsuit out-of-court and demands the plaintiff sign an NDA.
It's a safety issue. People are getting hurt or killed. The NDA prevents others who suffer the same fate from researching why it may have happened to them. The NDA prevents the feds from getting involved. The NDA keeps the amounts of settlements in the dark (not really a primary point here, but it's there). The NDA keeps culpability in the dark.
Is this kosher? It is legally, but should it be allowed?
Should court verdict vs private settlement make a difference? Does AMA'a NDA make them complicit to further injuries and deaths considering that they know better than anyone there's a pattern regarding their product?
Please note that this question only applies to when public safety is concerned. This thread does not involve trade secrets, business deals, and so on.
Example: Auto Manufacturer A (AMA) puts faulty brakes in one of their models for three model years. Brakes failures occur and injuries and deaths occur, spurring multiple lawsuits. AMA, for various reasons, settles each lawsuit out-of-court and demands the plaintiff sign an NDA.
It's a safety issue. People are getting hurt or killed. The NDA prevents others who suffer the same fate from researching why it may have happened to them. The NDA prevents the feds from getting involved. The NDA keeps the amounts of settlements in the dark (not really a primary point here, but it's there). The NDA keeps culpability in the dark.
Is this kosher? It is legally, but should it be allowed?
Should court verdict vs private settlement make a difference? Does AMA'a NDA make them complicit to further injuries and deaths considering that they know better than anyone there's a pattern regarding their product?
Please note that this question only applies to when public safety is concerned. This thread does not involve trade secrets, business deals, and so on.