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February 22nd, 2012

Ohio Supreme Court Upholds 2005 Tort Reform Statute

A recent 5-2 decision by the Ohio Supreme Court upheld the mandatory bifurcation provision of the punitive damages statute adopted in 2005 . . . → Read More: Ohio Supreme Court Upholds 2005 Tort Reform Statute

February 22nd, 2012

Video Exposes Tort Lawyer Racket in Louisiana

In its ongoing effort to bring attention to so-called “legacy” lawsuits in Louisiana, the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) today offers video of a plaintiffs’ “expert” teaching personal injury lawyers how to exploit the law and corrupt the civil justice system. . . . → Read More: Video Exposes Tort Lawyer Racket in Louisiana

February 17th, 2012

Turning Up the Heat on Madison County’s Meritless Atrazine Lawsuit

ATRA previously exposed the apparently hypocritical connections between plaintiffs’ lawyers, activists at an enviro-radical website, and organic farming advocates who share an interest in a meritless and costly lawsuit dragging on since 2004 in perennial judicial hellhole Madison County, Illinois. Now ATRA and an ally have published the first in a series of op-eds to offer developing details . . . → Read More: Turning Up the Heat on Madison County’s Meritless Atrazine Lawsuit

February 16th, 2012

Very Good News from Philly!

After being cited as the #1 Judicial Hellhole for the past two years running, Philadelphia’s top administrative judge yesterday announced sweeping rules changes that should go a long way in mitigating the Complex Litigation Center’s troublingly plaintiff-friendly reputation . . . → Read More: Very Good News from Philly!

February 15th, 2012

Will Concussion Lawsuits Sack the NFL?

Two sports-minded economists have recently considered the potentially devastating impact that the growing wave of concussion lawsuits could have on the National Footbal League . . . → Read More: Will Concussion Lawsuits Sack the NFL?

February 14th, 2012

‘Defensive Medicine’ Accounts for One-Quarter of All Orthopedic Testing

A new study to be issued Thursday by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons indicates that 1 of every 4 tests ordered by its members is medically unnnecessary but performed nonetheless to limit the potential for lawsuits down the road . . . → Read More: ‘Defensive Medicine’ Accounts for One-Quarter of All Orthopedic Testing

February 10th, 2012

Minnesota Governor Sides with Trial Lawyers against Employers and Employees

Sticking up for personal injury lawyers and determined to turn his state into the “Land of 10,000 Lawsuits,” Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton today vetoed a commonsense package of tort reforms . . . → Read More: Minnesota Governor Sides with Trial Lawyers against Employers and Employees

February 6th, 2012

New Data Add to ‘Hellholes’ Case Against Philadelphia’s ‘Complex Litigation Center’

Nearly 7 in 10 lawsuits Filed in Philadelphia’s plaintiff-friendly Complex Litigation Center have no connection to the city or to Pennsylvania, more broadly . . . → Read More: New Data Add to ‘Hellholes’ Case Against Philadelphia’s ‘Complex Litigation Center’

February 2nd, 2012

Organics Industry Advocate Issues ‘Non-Denial Denial’ about Its Efforts to Influence Justice in Madison County

The Center for Media and Democracy issued a non-denial denial that its WikiLeaks-wannabe website, SourceWatch.org, had posted and then scrambled to take down a deposition transcript and previously unsealed but not yet public court documents connected to a major class action playing out in Madison County, Illinois . . . → Read More: Organics Industry Advocate Issues ‘Non-Denial Denial’ about Its Efforts to Influence Justice in Madison County

January 31st, 2012

‘SourceWatch’ Exposed: Website Backed by Organic Food Industry Scrambles to Take down Court Documents after Being Caught in the Act

Caught in the act by Judicial Hellholes reporters late last week, WikiLeaks wannbe “SourceWatch.org” is now scambling to pull down previoulsy posted court documents, particularly the ones that suggest a direct link between it and the plaintiffs’ attorneys in a Madison County class action against the makers of a safe and widely used weed killer. . . . → Read More: ‘SourceWatch’ Exposed: Website Backed by Organic Food Industry Scrambles to Take down Court Documents after Being Caught in the Act

January 31st, 2012

Florida Bill Seeks Greater Legal Protections for Health Care Providers

Concerned by some of the highest-in-the-nation insurance premiums for physicians, a key committee in the Florida House has passed a bill that would grant greater protections for health care providers in medical liability cases . . . → Read More: Florida Bill Seeks Greater Legal Protections for Health Care Providers

January 27th, 2012

‘Organic’ Advocates Seek to Influence Madison County Atrazine Case

We’ll post more about this soon, but sources tell Judicial Hellholes reporters that a would-be WikiLeaks-like website is poised to post previously unsealed, proprietary documents provided during discovery by Syngenta, the defendant in a long-running, if meritless, class action in Madison County, Illinois. Continue reading ‘Organic’ Advocates Seek to Influence Madison County Atrazine Case

January 25th, 2012

Retired Texas Judge to Argue Patent Cases in His Old Court

And some folks wondered why the latest Judicial Hellholes report placed the U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (ED Texas) — and all the patent trolls who flock to it — at the top of its Watch List. Well, wonder no more. . . . → Read More: Retired Texas Judge to Argue Patent Cases in His Old Court

January 25th, 2012

West Virginia Asbestos Shakedowns May Hit New High (or Low)

Eight new asbestos lawsuits filed in Kanawha County each name 190 defendants in what may be an all time high (or low, depending on one’s point of view), even in one of the more scandalous Judicial Hellholes, West Virginia . . . → Read More: West Virginia Asbestos Shakedowns May Hit New High (or Low)

January 24th, 2012

ATRA, Others Urge Philadelphia Courts to Eliminate Unfair Elements of Civil Litigation

ATRA has joined a number of like-minded organizations in offering comments that urge Philadelphia civil courts to end the use of unfair procedures known as “consolidation” and “reverse bifurcation” in mass tort cases . . . → Read More: ATRA, Others Urge Philadelphia Courts to Eliminate Unfair Elements of Civil Litigation

January 20th, 2012

Record Asbestos Verdict in Mississippi Thrown Out

The $322 million verdict in a Mississippi case that would have been “as funny as ‘My Cousin Vinny’ if it weren’t for [the] terribly negative impact on the Magnolia State’s efforts to compete in attracting businesses and jobs” has been thrown out. . . . → Read More: Record Asbestos Verdict in Mississippi Thrown Out

January 20th, 2012

Philadelphia, Worst of the ‘Judicial Hellholes,’ May Be Working to Improve Its Lousy Reputation

Deny as they might that Philadelphia’s civil courts have earned their #1-ranking among Judicial Hellholes for the last two years, it appears judges there have nonetheless undertaken some potentially meaningful reforms. . . . → Read More: Philadelphia, Worst of the ‘Judicial Hellholes,’ May Be Working to Improve Its Lousy Reputation

January 19th, 2012

Madison County Judge Removed from Asbestos Docket

Just before the latest Judicial Hellholes® report was released last December 15, Madison County Circuit Judge Barbara Crowder was barred by Chief Judge Ann Callis from presiding over the the nation’s largest asbestos docket in the wake of a campaign contributions scandal.   Continue reading Madison County Judge Removed from Asbestos Docket

December 15th, 2011

Latest Report Names Philadelphia as the Worst of the ‘Judicial Hellholes®’ While Courts in California, West Virginia, Florida, Illinois, New York and Nevada Also Make the List

State and local economies continue to struggle with slow growth and high unemployment and, not coincidentally, some of those struggling the most also suffer a high degree of lawsuit abuse, thanks to unfair judges, court rules and underlying liability laws.  The 2011/2012 edition of ATRA’s Judicial Hellholes report details and documents the latest problems in an effort to provide judges and lawmakers a roadmap to reform.  Continue reading Latest Report Names Philadelphia as the Worst of the ‘Judicial Hellholes®’ While Courts in California, West Virginia, Florida, Illinois, New York and Nevada Also Make the List

October 28th, 2011

On Pennsylvania Radio, ATRA Notes New Study on Reining #1 ‘Judicial Hellhole,’ Philadelphia

As Pennsylvania’s General Assembly considers important “venue reform” legislation (H.B. 1552), ATRA legislative director Matt Fullenbaum is voicing his support for the bill on statewide radio . . . → Read More: On Pennsylvania Radio, ATRA Notes New Study on Reining #1 ‘Judicial Hellhole,’ Philadelphia