A holiday parade in Bellevue, a small town in Iowa, went terribly wrong on the Fourth of July. The driver of a two-horse hitch lost control of the rig when one of his horses managed to rub the bridle off the other one and the panicked animals plowed through spectators for seven blocks. One woman, a passenger in the wagon, was killed; at least two dozen other people, ranging in age from two through 62, were injured. By most accounts, the driver did all he could to stop the horses.

Accidents like this one often attract a stampede of personal injury lawyers and a flood of lawsuits, whether or not anyone actually was at fault. The list of potential defendants is a lengthy one: the city of Bellevue, the parade organizers, the driver of the wagon, the owner of the horses, the person who tacked up the horses, the manufacturer of the harness, and anyone else peripherally involved in the incident. Even if a lawsuit proves to be groundless, defending against the claims involves attorney fees and other expenses, lost time, and possibly irreparable harm to the goodwill of a horse business