Quote Originally Posted by N981MS View Post
The difference will be in the ignorance of the jurors. I would wager there will not be single a pilot on the jury; much less a builder. Likely they will all be drivers of cars.....
Most of the public, including jurors presume that people who own airplanes are rich. We know otherwise, but the jurors are likely inclined to render large monetary awards if they feel the defendant is wealthy or insured. I lived in California most of my life, and there is a huge surplus of lawyers. According to the State Bar Association they have 225,000 members. Many are aggressively seeking work, and the potential money an attorney can make from a catastrophic aircraft accident lawsuit is significant.

I never really worried much about the passengers I was giving a ride as they had demonstrated an interest in general aviation and had a sense of the risk involved in flight. What concerned me more were the relatives or heirs of the passengers who perhaps did not share an appreciation of general aviation.

Everybody has their own level of risk they are willing to assume, I guess. Whatever works for you is OK with me.