Think that class action litigation is mainly to line the pockets of trial lawyers?

If you do, there's a front group for unethical entrepreneurs that would welcome you. You're the patsy that shyster "court reformers" utilize to push their anti-consumer agenda.

The cabal in question is the Los Angeles branch of "Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse" (CALA) (see story in the Nov. 2 T.O. Acorn, "It finally happens in the world of lawsuits gone wild: Somebody tries suing himself.")

CALA's a national organization, supported by major businesses. It seeks to manipulate public opinion, urges legislators to restrict consumer suits and packs trial courts with anti-litigation jurors skeptical of consumer complaints against corporations.

By publicizing "frivolous" cases, CALA poisons the minds of potential jurors, implying that suits against the business community threaten all of us. Sue power companies and rates go up. Sue oil companies and we pay more. Sue a fast food outlet and the 99-cent burger disappears.

L.A. CALA's "frivolous" list in October included the "killer chicken" suit. In it, CALA claimed, "A consumer group filed a lawsuit against Kentucky 'Fried' Chicken (KFC) seeking to end the restaurant chain's use of partially hydrogenated oil in fried chicken and other dishes, even though all KFC products are safe to eat and meet or exceed all government regulations."

It's a typical CALA trick, leaving out much of the truth. A highly respected organization, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, filed the KFC suit. CALA knew that but didn't tell.

Ignoring the multitude of health experts who've warned us against dangerous trans fats, KFC denounced the suit as "frivolous," a view that CALA obviously shares.

Lurking in the background was the possibility of a consumer classaction suit against KFC.

CALA and big business would like class actions to go away. They know they can beat into submission a single plaintiff. No private citizen can afford topflight lawyers wellversed in product liability, with resources to track down evidence, engage in lengthy discovery, and in the end, win justice for the plaintiff. But big corporations can.

Was the suit against KFC "frivolous?" On Oct. 31, KFC announced it's abandoning trans fat for most of its menu, effectively conceding that science has demonstrated a connection between hydrogenated oils and life-threatening ailments.

But you'll never read that in a CALA retraction. CALA doesn't retract. CALA just moves on to a new list of silly suits.

The executive director of L.A. CALA, Peter Bylsma, also happens to be executive director of a prominent L.A. Republican organization. Those two groups belong together. They're not strange bedfellows. Bylsma won't speak publicly in support of any classaction consumer suit. It's not hard to understand why. Ralph Shaffer Pomona

Shaffer is a professor emeritus of history at Cal Poly Pomona.

You can reach him at reshaffer@csupomona.edu.