Legal Definitions - capper

A capper primarily refers to an individual who illegally or unethically solicits business for an attorney, often in exchange for a fee. This practice is prohibited in many jurisdictions because it can lead to the exploitation of individuals and the instigation of unnecessary legal action. More broadly, in a non-legal context, a capper can also be a person who acts as a decoy or lure to entice others into a deceptive scheme, such as a gambling fraud or a confidence trick.

• Example 1 (Attorney Solicitation): After a multi-car pileup on the highway, a person approaches accident victims at the scene, handing out business cards for a specific personal injury law firm and aggressively encouraging them to file lawsuits, even offering to drive them to the firm's office.

  Explanation: This individual is acting as a capper by actively soliciting clients for an attorney, a practice that is often illegal and unethical due to concerns about barratry (inciting lawsuits) and undue influence on vulnerable individuals.

• Example 2 (Deceptive Lure): At a street fair, a vendor runs a "shell game." An accomplice, pretending to be a random passerby, loudly "wins" a large sum of money from the vendor, making it seem easy and encouraging others in the crowd to try their luck.

  Explanation: The accomplice is functioning as a capper in this scenario, acting as a lure to draw unsuspecting individuals into a rigged game, creating a false sense of opportunity to defraud them.

• Example 3 (Insurance Fraud Scheme): An individual visits auto body shops, identifying people whose cars have been damaged in minor collisions. They then suggest to these individuals that they claim whiplash injuries, even if they feel fine, and provide referrals to a specific chiropractor and a lawyer known for handling such exaggerated claims.

  Explanation: Here, the individual is acting as a capper by soliciting potential "clients" for a specific chiropractor and lawyer, facilitating an insurance fraud scheme by encouraging false or exaggerated injury claims.