Elizabeth Chamblee Burch
@eburch.bsky.social
Callaway Chair of Law @universityofga.bsky.social. Author THE PAIN BROKERS: How Con Men, Call Centers & Rogue Doctors Fuel America's Lawsuit Factory.
Views are my own. Here for stories, civ pro, MDL, class actions, torts.
www.elizabethchambleeburch.com
Views are my own. Here for stories, civ pro, MDL, class actions, torts.
www.elizabethchambleeburch.com
Kim Cross’s In Light of All Darkness taught me how a book can be both a page-turner and a field guide. Her precision + compassion shaped how I wrote The Pain Brokers.
Her book proposal was dissected by Nieman Storyboard:
niemanstoryboard.org/2023/11/17/b...
#ThePainBrokers #NarrativeNonfiction
Her book proposal was dissected by Nieman Storyboard:
niemanstoryboard.org/2023/11/17/b...
#ThePainBrokers #NarrativeNonfiction
November 20, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Kim Cross’s In Light of All Darkness taught me how a book can be both a page-turner and a field guide. Her precision + compassion shaped how I wrote The Pain Brokers.
Her book proposal was dissected by Nieman Storyboard:
niemanstoryboard.org/2023/11/17/b...
#ThePainBrokers #NarrativeNonfiction
Her book proposal was dissected by Nieman Storyboard:
niemanstoryboard.org/2023/11/17/b...
#ThePainBrokers #NarrativeNonfiction
Happy 50th birthday to procedural justice! 🎉Thrilled to celebrate with so many brilliant scholars who’ve pushed this field forward.
Here’s to the next 50 years of asking harder questions, building fairer systems, and imagining a more just future.
#MassTorts #ProceduralJustice @jurygirl.bsky.social
Here’s to the next 50 years of asking harder questions, building fairer systems, and imagining a more just future.
#MassTorts #ProceduralJustice @jurygirl.bsky.social
November 20, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Happy 50th birthday to procedural justice! 🎉Thrilled to celebrate with so many brilliant scholars who’ve pushed this field forward.
Here’s to the next 50 years of asking harder questions, building fairer systems, and imagining a more just future.
#MassTorts #ProceduralJustice @jurygirl.bsky.social
Here’s to the next 50 years of asking harder questions, building fairer systems, and imagining a more just future.
#MassTorts #ProceduralJustice @jurygirl.bsky.social
Vulnerable plaintiffs were trapped in a mass-tort machine.
#WomenAndJustice #BookLaunch
Preorder: www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/...
#WomenAndJustice #BookLaunch
Preorder: www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/...
November 18, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Vulnerable plaintiffs were trapped in a mass-tort machine.
#WomenAndJustice #BookLaunch
Preorder: www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/...
#WomenAndJustice #BookLaunch
Preorder: www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/...
Had women used insurance and a real hospital, it would have cost them somewhere between $600 and $1,000. A spin through the removal mill ran $69,000 to $120,000.
...The same doctors appeared in case after case.
...The same doctors appeared in case after case.
November 18, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Had women used insurance and a real hospital, it would have cost them somewhere between $600 and $1,000. A spin through the removal mill ran $69,000 to $120,000.
...The same doctors appeared in case after case.
...The same doctors appeared in case after case.
Many women told they couldn’t use their insurance, which forced them to take out medical liens against their future settlement proceeds at strip-you-bare rates.
#TrueCrime
#TrueCrime
November 18, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Many women told they couldn’t use their insurance, which forced them to take out medical liens against their future settlement proceeds at strip-you-bare rates.
#TrueCrime
#TrueCrime
November 18, 2025 at 9:54 PM
🧵1) Despite researching mass torts for over 20 years, what I uncovered in writing The Pain Brokers still shocked me:
November 18, 2025 at 9:54 PM
🧵1) Despite researching mass torts for over 20 years, what I uncovered in writing The Pain Brokers still shocked me:
2 weeks left to get a free copy of The Pain Brokers!
#ThePainBrokers #MassTorts #NarrativeNonfiction #InvestigativeJournalism #TrueCrimeReads
www.goodreads.com/en/book/show...
#ThePainBrokers #MassTorts #NarrativeNonfiction #InvestigativeJournalism #TrueCrimeReads
www.goodreads.com/en/book/show...
November 15, 2025 at 3:42 PM
2 weeks left to get a free copy of The Pain Brokers!
#ThePainBrokers #MassTorts #NarrativeNonfiction #InvestigativeJournalism #TrueCrimeReads
www.goodreads.com/en/book/show...
#ThePainBrokers #MassTorts #NarrativeNonfiction #InvestigativeJournalism #TrueCrimeReads
www.goodreads.com/en/book/show...
Want a quick craft tip? Read @praddenkeefe.bsky.social Empire of Pain! It’s a writing lesson in reporting without access.
What book taught you something about writing or reporting?
📚 Books Behind The Pain Brokers.
#EmpireOfPain #ThePainBrokers #NarrativeNonfiction #InvestigativeJournalism
What book taught you something about writing or reporting?
📚 Books Behind The Pain Brokers.
#EmpireOfPain #ThePainBrokers #NarrativeNonfiction #InvestigativeJournalism
November 14, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Want a quick craft tip? Read @praddenkeefe.bsky.social Empire of Pain! It’s a writing lesson in reporting without access.
What book taught you something about writing or reporting?
📚 Books Behind The Pain Brokers.
#EmpireOfPain #ThePainBrokers #NarrativeNonfiction #InvestigativeJournalism
What book taught you something about writing or reporting?
📚 Books Behind The Pain Brokers.
#EmpireOfPain #ThePainBrokers #NarrativeNonfiction #InvestigativeJournalism
JERRI PLUMMER 45-year-old Arkansas grandmother in an abusive marriage. On Medicaid. When her granddaughter overheard a caller claim there was a ticking time bomb in Jerri, she was convinced her granny was about to die.
November 13, 2025 at 12:03 AM
JERRI PLUMMER 45-year-old Arkansas grandmother in an abusive marriage. On Medicaid. When her granddaughter overheard a caller claim there was a ticking time bomb in Jerri, she was convinced her granny was about to die.
BARB SHEPARD A school bus driver from Claremont, New Hampshire, and mother of two grown boys, she thought she was getting help for her medical device. Instead, she got a plane ticket to Florida and a surgeon she’d never met. The scare tactics worked. The surgery didn’t.
November 13, 2025 at 12:03 AM
BARB SHEPARD A school bus driver from Claremont, New Hampshire, and mother of two grown boys, she thought she was getting help for her medical device. Instead, she got a plane ticket to Florida and a surgeon she’d never met. The scare tactics worked. The surgery didn’t.
SHARON GORE: School administrator. Master’s degree. Pillar of her South Carolina community. One phone call changed everything.
#WomensHealth #CivPro
#WomensHealth #CivPro
November 13, 2025 at 12:03 AM
SHARON GORE: School administrator. Master’s degree. Pillar of her South Carolina community. One phone call changed everything.
#WomensHealth #CivPro
#WomensHealth #CivPro
Meet the brave women at the heart of a real-life legal thriller, THE PAIN BROKERS.
Each received eerily similar phone calls. The callers knew their names, birthdays, medical histories, even their doctors. They were told they had a "ticking time bomb" inside them.
#TrueCrime #torts
Each received eerily similar phone calls. The callers knew their names, birthdays, medical histories, even their doctors. They were told they had a "ticking time bomb" inside them.
#TrueCrime #torts
November 13, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Meet the brave women at the heart of a real-life legal thriller, THE PAIN BROKERS.
Each received eerily similar phone calls. The callers knew their names, birthdays, medical histories, even their doctors. They were told they had a "ticking time bomb" inside them.
#TrueCrime #torts
Each received eerily similar phone calls. The callers knew their names, birthdays, medical histories, even their doctors. They were told they had a "ticking time bomb" inside them.
#TrueCrime #torts
These aren’t just statistics—they’re stories of women like Jerri, Sharon, and Barb who were manipulated by predatory call centers into unnecessary surgeries while lawyers, funders, and doctors profited from their pain.
#ThePainBrokers #MassTorts #WomensHealth #InvestigativeJournalism #MDLReform
#ThePainBrokers #MassTorts #WomensHealth #InvestigativeJournalism #MDLReform
November 11, 2025 at 6:12 PM
These aren’t just statistics—they’re stories of women like Jerri, Sharon, and Barb who were manipulated by predatory call centers into unnecessary surgeries while lawyers, funders, and doctors profited from their pain.
#ThePainBrokers #MassTorts #WomensHealth #InvestigativeJournalism #MDLReform
#ThePainBrokers #MassTorts #WomensHealth #InvestigativeJournalism #MDLReform
The real con? It’s what happens after you sign up.
In THE PAIN BROKERS, I expose a criminal conspiracy that preyed on over 100,000 women.
In THE PAIN BROKERS, I expose a criminal conspiracy that preyed on over 100,000 women.
November 11, 2025 at 6:12 PM
The real con? It’s what happens after you sign up.
In THE PAIN BROKERS, I expose a criminal conspiracy that preyed on over 100,000 women.
In THE PAIN BROKERS, I expose a criminal conspiracy that preyed on over 100,000 women.
Yes, lawsuits can expose real wrongdoing—defective medical devices, dangerous drugs, corporate negligence. But the system meant to deliver justice has become what one woman called “America’s lawsuit factory.”
November 11, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Yes, lawsuits can expose real wrongdoing—defective medical devices, dangerous drugs, corporate negligence. But the system meant to deliver justice has become what one woman called “America’s lawsuit factory.”
💰 Average pelvic mesh settlement: $40,000 BEFORE attorney fees.
📉 After fees and costs? Many women received pennies on the dollar.
🔍 Only 1.8% felt their lawsuits accomplished their goals.
📉 After fees and costs? Many women received pennies on the dollar.
🔍 Only 1.8% felt their lawsuits accomplished their goals.
November 11, 2025 at 6:12 PM
💰 Average pelvic mesh settlement: $40,000 BEFORE attorney fees.
📉 After fees and costs? Many women received pennies on the dollar.
🔍 Only 1.8% felt their lawsuits accomplished their goals.
📉 After fees and costs? Many women received pennies on the dollar.
🔍 Only 1.8% felt their lawsuits accomplished their goals.
A 🧵 on mass tort plaintiffs
1) After studying 217 MDL plaintiffs across 42 states, I discovered the reality behind those late-night lawyer commercials. The numbers are shocking:
1) After studying 217 MDL plaintiffs across 42 states, I discovered the reality behind those late-night lawyer commercials. The numbers are shocking:
November 11, 2025 at 6:12 PM
A 🧵 on mass tort plaintiffs
1) After studying 217 MDL plaintiffs across 42 states, I discovered the reality behind those late-night lawyer commercials. The numbers are shocking:
1) After studying 217 MDL plaintiffs across 42 states, I discovered the reality behind those late-night lawyer commercials. The numbers are shocking:
Grateful to Eric Eyre for his powerful words about The Pain Brokers.
Eyre won a Pulitzer for investigative reporting and his book, Death in Mud Lick, is a riveting investigation into how corporate greed fueled the #opioid epidemic.
Eyre won a Pulitzer for investigative reporting and his book, Death in Mud Lick, is a riveting investigation into how corporate greed fueled the #opioid epidemic.
November 9, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Grateful to Eric Eyre for his powerful words about The Pain Brokers.
Eyre won a Pulitzer for investigative reporting and his book, Death in Mud Lick, is a riveting investigation into how corporate greed fueled the #opioid epidemic.
Eyre won a Pulitzer for investigative reporting and his book, Death in Mud Lick, is a riveting investigation into how corporate greed fueled the #opioid epidemic.
You have a “ticking time bomb" in you said the caller...
The Pain Brokers is a true story about 3 women who uncovered a con that turned their bodies into a business—and their fight for justice.
Want to read it first?
🎁 Enter this Goodreads Giveaway: www.goodreads.com/en/book/show...
#WomensHealth
The Pain Brokers is a true story about 3 women who uncovered a con that turned their bodies into a business—and their fight for justice.
Want to read it first?
🎁 Enter this Goodreads Giveaway: www.goodreads.com/en/book/show...
#WomensHealth
November 1, 2025 at 6:38 PM
You have a “ticking time bomb" in you said the caller...
The Pain Brokers is a true story about 3 women who uncovered a con that turned their bodies into a business—and their fight for justice.
Want to read it first?
🎁 Enter this Goodreads Giveaway: www.goodreads.com/en/book/show...
#WomensHealth
The Pain Brokers is a true story about 3 women who uncovered a con that turned their bodies into a business—and their fight for justice.
Want to read it first?
🎁 Enter this Goodreads Giveaway: www.goodreads.com/en/book/show...
#WomensHealth
Thread 🧵
1/ 🚨 Big development: The 4th Circuit has held that under West Virginia common law, conditions caused by the over-distribution of opioids can amount to a public nuisance. #opioids #ComplexLit #masstorts
1/ 🚨 Big development: The 4th Circuit has held that under West Virginia common law, conditions caused by the over-distribution of opioids can amount to a public nuisance. #opioids #ComplexLit #masstorts
October 29, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Thread 🧵
1/ 🚨 Big development: The 4th Circuit has held that under West Virginia common law, conditions caused by the over-distribution of opioids can amount to a public nuisance. #opioids #ComplexLit #masstorts
1/ 🚨 Big development: The 4th Circuit has held that under West Virginia common law, conditions caused by the over-distribution of opioids can amount to a public nuisance. #opioids #ComplexLit #masstorts
👏We are hiring!👏
UGA School of Law is conducting an open rank search for 4-5 positions in: torts, contracts, bankruptcy, environmental law, property, international law, and secured transactions, plus business/corporate law, administrative law, banking, & employment law.
Email: lawhiring@uga.edu
UGA School of Law is conducting an open rank search for 4-5 positions in: torts, contracts, bankruptcy, environmental law, property, international law, and secured transactions, plus business/corporate law, administrative law, banking, & employment law.
Email: lawhiring@uga.edu
July 1, 2025 at 8:53 PM
👏We are hiring!👏
UGA School of Law is conducting an open rank search for 4-5 positions in: torts, contracts, bankruptcy, environmental law, property, international law, and secured transactions, plus business/corporate law, administrative law, banking, & employment law.
Email: lawhiring@uga.edu
UGA School of Law is conducting an open rank search for 4-5 positions in: torts, contracts, bankruptcy, environmental law, property, international law, and secured transactions, plus business/corporate law, administrative law, banking, & employment law.
Email: lawhiring@uga.edu
Purdue's bankruptcy saga may soon draw to a close as all states and territories sign off on the revamped plan to transfer assets to a public benefit company.
Is everyone happy? Will the Sacklers be held to account?
No and maybe. A 🧵 www.bloomberglaw.com/product/blaw...
Is everyone happy? Will the Sacklers be held to account?
No and maybe. A 🧵 www.bloomberglaw.com/product/blaw...
June 20, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Purdue's bankruptcy saga may soon draw to a close as all states and territories sign off on the revamped plan to transfer assets to a public benefit company.
Is everyone happy? Will the Sacklers be held to account?
No and maybe. A 🧵 www.bloomberglaw.com/product/blaw...
Is everyone happy? Will the Sacklers be held to account?
No and maybe. A 🧵 www.bloomberglaw.com/product/blaw...
Welcome summer! First berry haul from the yard this morning.
May 20, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Welcome summer! First berry haul from the yard this morning.
MDL Panel filings are down drastically. Theories anyone?
www.law.com/nationallawj...
www.law.com/nationallawj...
May 12, 2025 at 4:32 PM
MDL Panel filings are down drastically. Theories anyone?
www.law.com/nationallawj...
www.law.com/nationallawj...