Too Big to Lose: A Small Farmer's Ten Year Battle Against DuPont

Our legal system is broken...

So posits Raymond Kawamata in this scathing indictment of the US justice system. And he should know. When Kawamata, a Hawaiian rose farmer, discovered one day that his roses had been dying due to a manufacturing defect of a fungicide he had applied to his plants, he did what any aggrieved customer would do: he asked for compensation from the manufacturer. This outwardly simple action against the chemical giant DuPont, a $38 billion company, would cost Kawamata ten years of his life, a marriage, and millions of dollars in legal expenses. Why? Because when it comes to the deep pockets of corporate America, it's possible to be too big to lose.

In this must-read, the dirty secret of the American legal system is exposed. Courtrooms are battlegrounds of attrition where justice takes a backseat to the financial strength of the respective parties. And the little guy doesn't stand a chance.

About the Author
Kawamata, Raymond: - Raymond Kawamata was growing roses on his farm on the Big Island of Hawaii when he noticed some discoloration on the flowers. In time, it became apparent that the problem, significant enough to jeopardize his very livelihood, came from a mis-formulated DuPont fungicide called Benlate. Raymond's suit against DuPont would make national news as one of the few that DuPont refused to settle, forcing Raymond into a ten-year legal battle where DuPont was intent on using every means at its disposal to not only defeat Raymond, but to crush him. With a small but determined team of attorneys, Raymond accepted the fight. Too Big to Lose is the story of his case told against the backdrop of a legal system that favors the wealthy. With his wife Linda, Raymond still makes his home on the Big Island, and still runs his farm, long-since converted from roses to tomatoes