In 1993, for example, Mr. Edwards was retained by the North Carolina family of young Valerie Lakey, who’d lost most of her intestines to the suction power of an uncovered wading-pool drain. He sued the manufacturer, Sta-Rite Industries, for negligence, and refused settlement offers, even as they climbed from an initial $100,000 (U.S.) to $17.5-million. Found guilty at trial, the company was forced to pay $25-million, the largest verdict in state history.
The Montreal speech was almost a love-in. When he left the podium, cries of ‘Edwards for president’ echoed through the room.
