rent-a-judge

Critics of the rent-a-judge system call it Cadillac justice, which lets more affluent litigants evade the problems of the judicial system.

If either side in the Harper-Lorimar case is unhappy with the eventual verdict, for example, some of the rent-a-judge outfits have a new option they could always look into: rent-an-appeals-judge.

The rent-a-judge option began in 1976 in California, the state that still accounts for more than half of all such proceedings.

Where rent-a-judge trials are appealable, those involved contend that only about 5% to 10% of such cases are taken to a higher court.

The typical rent-a-judge case involves squabbling business partners who are eager to get a ruling and resume their profitable venture.