SCOTUS Invites New Wave of 'Pay-to-Play' Lawsuits
A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court yesterday overturned an appellate court decision that had been heralded as a needed check on so-called “pay-to-play” litigation
Judicial HellholesBP Keeps up Fight against Personal Injury Lawyers’ Fraudulent Claims in #2 Ranked ‘Judicial Hellhole’
BP has filed a lawsuit against San Antonio-based tort kingpin Mikal Watts, accusing him of fraudulently ginning up more than 40,000 “phantom” claims on one of the compensation funds BP established to mitigate damages from the 2010 Gulf oil spill
Judicial HellholesNew York’s High Court Properly Rejects Longtime Smokers’ Claims for ‘Medical Monitoring’
Not all news coming out of Judicial Hellholes is bad news, and a decision by the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, rejecting an equitable medical monitoring claim is very good news
Judicial Hellholes, Points of LightCalifornia Ranks #1 in 2013/2014 ‘Judicial Hellholes’ Report
The American Tort Reform Foundation issued its annual Judicial Hellholes® report today, naming civil courts in California, Louisiana, New York City, West Virginia, Southwestern Illinois’ Madison and St. Clair counties, and South Florida among the nation’s “most unfair”
Judicial HellholesLatest ‘Judicial Hellholes’ Report To Be Released Tuesday, Dec. 17
Watch this space Tuesday, December 17, for the latest addition of the American Tort Reform Foundation’s annual Judicial Hellholes report
Judicial HellholesVideo Proves Fraud in Banana Peel Slip-and-Fall Claim against Metro
Justice was served this week in a case involving the D.C. Metro Transit Agency and a Metro rider who had fraudulently sued the agency in a slip and fall case for $15,000 — in part to cover $4,500 in alleged chiropractor bills. But his con was caught on videotape, and he now faces criminal charges
Judicial HellholesNY Speaker Blocks Tort Reforms in Albany while on Payroll of Big Apple Plaintiffs’ Firm
New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s 2012 income report includes some $350,000-$450,000 from Weitz & Luxenberg, a giant personal injury law firm based in New York City
Judicial HellholesCalifornia’s Dangerous Litigation Leads to Multi-Billion Dollar Tort Tax
More bad news this week for residents of California, America’s reigning #1 Judicial Hellhole, in the form of another troubling account of the impact that the state’s runaway litigation has on citizens’ wallets and pocketbooks
Judicial HellholesHigh Fructose Corn Syrup: Far Less Hazardous than the Lawsuit against Its Makers
Tom Stebbins, Executive Director of the Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York (LRANY) sat down for an interview with Time
Judicial HellholesColorado High Court to Trial Courts: Discovery Must Be Reasonably Limited
Winning an automatic Points of Light citation in the upcoming edition of ATRA’s annual Judicial Hellholes report (due out in
Judicial Hellholes, Points of LightBad Decision on Arbitration from Florida Supreme Court May Rate a ‘Dishonorable Mention’
In stark contrast to a U.S. Supreme Court decision on the same day upholding an arbitration agreement, Florida’s notoriously trial lawyer-friendly high court yesterday overturned a lower court and threw out such an agreement freely entered into by a hernia patient and his surgeon
Judicial HellholesSCOTUS Puts Roadblock Between Lawyers Trolling for Clients and Private DMV Records
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that plaintiffs’ lawyers may not use confidential DMV records to troll for clients. Plaintiffs’ lawyers may not “acquire highly restricted personal information from state DMV records to send bulk solicitations without express consent from the targeted recipients.”
Judicial HellholesPay-to-Play Action Between Nevada AG, Trial Lawyer Patrons Spotlighted by WSJ Editorial
Updating the pay-to-play action that Nevada’s attorney general is running with some out-of-state plaintiffs’ lawyers, Wall Street Journal editorial writers today urge the state’s high court to end it
Judicial HellholesATRA Ally’s WSJ Letter Critical of New Jersey Trial Lawyer Bill
A letter to the editor published in today’s Wall Street Journal highlights problems with a pending bill that would effectively eliminate the statute of limitations for sexual abuse lawsuits in New Jersey.
Judicial HellholesAnother Oklahoma Disaster
Reacting to news that the Oklahoma Supreme Court has, by a vote of 7-2, struck down a comprehensive package of civil justice reforms enacted by overwhelming majorities of elected lawmakers and the governor in 2009, the American Tort Reform Association today criticized the court majority for “disrespecting both the legislators’ hard-won compromises and the will of voters who had endorsed the judgment of those legislators.”
Judicial HellholesATRA Urges Reform of Wisconsin’s ‘Outlier’ Lemon Law
Says Applying Brakes to Runaway Lawyers Good for Consumers, Auto Industry . FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Darren McKinney (202)
Judicial Hellholes, Points of LightATRA Ally Calls out Louisiana Attorney General for Pay-to-Play ‘Buddy Sytem’
An investigative report by a New Orleans television station has turned up the heat on Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell and his so-called “Buddy System,” wherein his big campaign contributors not so coincidentally get the lion’s share of no-bid contracts for litigation work on behalf of the state
Judicial HellholesMassachusetts High Court Promotes Practically Boundless ‘Consumer Protection’ Law
A recent decision by Massachusetts’ Supreme Judicial Court shows how disturbingly far consumer protection laws have been stretched and contorted beyond their intended purpose by plaintiffs’ lawyers and some courts
Judicial Hellholes#1 Hellhole Ranks as ‘Worst State for Business’
A newly released annual survey of the nation’s CEOs confirms that California, currently ranked as the #1 Judicial Hellhole, not coincidentally ranks as the worst state in which to do business, as well
Judicial HellholesVideo Speaks to Character of Wisconsin’s ‘Lemon Law King’ Now Fighting Reform
As reform legislation offered today in Wisconsin’s Assembly promises to close loopholes in the state’s outlier “lemon law” — loopholes that have been infamously exploited by unscrupulous lawyers there — a new video speaks to the character of one of those lawyers
Judicial Hellholes, Points of LightForum Shopping in the Other ‘Las Vegas’
Apparently tired of living in the shadow of Las Vegas, Nevada, jackpot justice capital of the Mountain West, little Las Vegas, New Mexico, in rural San Miguel County, has now become notorious for forum shopping as it vies for Judicial Hellholes status in its own right
Judicial Hellholes