Last week, I wrote about the bizarre situation between Garth Brooks and Integris Hospital, describing his donation to the hospital with the understanding that the hospital would name a wing after his deceased mother. It was a truly tragic story, but it has come to an end, for now, and the outcome should be pleasing to all us.
When Garth Brooks won this victory, we all won.
In this country, our founding fathers intended each and every citizen to have access to the court system for the redress of wrongs. For a moment, forget the fact that Garth Brooks is, well, Garth Brooks and look beyond just the favorable judgment on his behalf. This sets a precedent wherein when a major corporation simply doesn't do what it's supposed to do and has agreed to do, they can be punished.
While it is true that there are plenty of frivolous lawsuits out there, Brooks' victory sends a very strong message to us all and with the countless problems with the court system, every now and again it proves that ours is the best justice system in the world.
Brooks was angry, even though he won and we can empathize with him. He lost his mother to cancer and wanted Colleen Brooks' name on the women's center. He said to the crowd after his victory, "One day Mom's name is going to go on the women's center right there where the hospital is, but that hospital won't be owned by Integris when it happens, I can tell you that. That's my dream." Can we really blame him for his anger?
Brooks had originally donated $500,000, but was awarded $1 million. We can't put a price tag on the value of this victory.
David
