Rainmaker Is a 1997 Film

Rainmaker is a 1997 film from the book of the same title by John Grisham. It stars Matt Damon and Danny DiVito, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Essentially "rainmaking" in legal parlance is also known as "ambulance chasing" -- hunting for potential clients in hospital emergency rooms, or accident locations, all hoping to sign clients up for law-suits that may or may not be appropriate, particularly when dealing with the insurance industry.

The movie is Grisham's commentary on an unfortunate aspect of the legal system, in which insurance companies can legally deny lifesaving treatment to policy holders based on bureaucratic technicalities. In this movie, although Damon as the crusading lawyer does win the case, but the insurance company declares bankruptcy to avoid paying the award. Thus, Damon's client gets nothing, and he gets no fee.

This causes him to rethink the entire system, and decides to abandon the practice of law in order to focus on teaching legal ethics because the successful case would create unrealistic expectations for future clients (the Rainmaker). Legal Issue- the central legal issue in the case is one of insurance bad faith. Dot and Buddy Black had medical insurance. Their son, Donny, now 22, is dying of leukemia, but could have been saved according to medical testimony, with a bone marrow transplant.

However, this procedure was denied by the insurance carrier, Great Benefit, claiming the leukemia was a preexisting condition. The Blacks finally triumph in the case, only to have Great Benefit declare bankruptcy and avoid all fiscal penalties in the case. Ethical Issues- There are numerous ethical issues surround the movie from a legal standpoint. Stealing clients from one another, illegal wiretapping, promising clients' large settlements in injury cases, etc. are all unethical behavior.

The insurance company's unprofessional and vituperative language in correspondence back to the Blacks is unconscionable, as is their blatant disregard for Donny's fate -- simply to save money. Damon's character is ethically flawed, he engages in spurious behavior because everyone else is doing it simply to earn money.

However, there is light at the end of the tunnel in that by the end of the movie, Damon's lawyer, Rudy Baylor, decides that incrementally one person may not change the entire system, but can at least work towards helping others understand the ethnics involved in the profession of law (Swann and Brady) Preexisting Condition Issues- Most insurers neither take the time to carefully read their insurance policy details nor understand that in some cases it is in the insurance company's best interest to deny claims, hoping they will simply go away (the persistence factor).

The issue of blanket denials for preexisting conditions is so egregious that it has become a national policy debate. In many cases, an insurance company can claim most anything to be preexisting, since both the legal lingual is relatively unclear and the medical proof for initial causality of disease is not precise. "The fine print differs from the larger political message. If a company sells insurance, it will have to cover pre-existing conditions for children covered by the policy.

But it does not have to sell to somebody with a pre-existing condition. And the insurer could increase premiums to cover the additional cost" (Pear). Conclusions -- Law is many things; a tradition, a tool of society, and an organizer. Just as with most.