I remember reading about a proposal for a kind of "good samaritan" type law that would prevent people from being made liable through giving an apology. (I think this was specifically for medical malpractice.) It seems like a good idea.
I think some of this problem comes about because of ambiguity in the english language that prevents us from expressing ourselves properly. Saying sorry can mean both that you feel regret but it also can mean that you accept responsibility, and which is which is ambiguous. It's a shame that one can't apologize sincerely and then argue in court that your apology was the former and not the latter - but it seems you can't.
If we just had a better way of saying this kind of thing then I think a lot of the problem would go away.
I think some of this problem comes about because of ambiguity in the english language that prevents us from expressing ourselves properly. Saying sorry can mean both that you feel regret but it also can mean that you accept responsibility, and which is which is ambiguous. It's a shame that one can't apologize sincerely and then argue in court that your apology was the former and not the latter - but it seems you can't.
If we just had a better way of saying this kind of thing then I think a lot of the problem would go away.