The Worst Judge in America
A unanimous decision last week by the U.S. Supreme Court adds credence to the notion that Circuit Court Judge Kirk Johnson in Miller County, Arkansas may well be the very worst judge in America
Judicial HellholesWall Street Journal Adds to Criticism of Alabama High Court’s ‘Innovator Liability’ Decision
Urging justices of Alabama’s Supreme Court to reconsider their January decision that absurdly held a brand-name drug maker liable for the allegedly negative side effects of a generic drug made by a competitor, the Wall Street Journal today adds to the criticism of Wyeth v. Weeks
Judicial HellholesPlaintiff-Friendly Federal Court in Northern California Now Derisively Known as the ‘Food Court’
California’s leading journal for legal news has published a worthwhile story about the growing wave of preposterous consumer class actions that target the packaging and marketing of various food and beverage products, and which have found a welcoming embrace in the arms of judges comprising the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
Judicial Hellholes‘No-Class’ Class Action Demands Bigger Bud Buzz
The federal District Court for the Northern District of California, known increasingly for its plaintiff-friendly embrace of preposterous food and beverage consumer class actions, is where apparently alcohol-obsessed litigants have filed a new, multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Anheuser-Busch, alleging that the actual alcohol content of various beers is marginally lower than labels indicate
Judicial HellholesBreaking Bad on the Bayou: Supreme Court and Attorney General Giving Louisiana a Bad Name
Despite ongoing legislative reform efforts, Louisiana seems headed for a Judicial Hellholes ranking this year thanks to a recently horrendous state supreme court decision and a continuing pay-to-play shakedown racket known as the “Buddy System”
Judicial HellholesC+ Student’s Lawsuit Earns an ‘F’
An unsuccessful former graduate student in Pennsylvania, who was apparently indulged by her professor father, has lost a $1.3 million lawsuit against Lehigh University wherein she alleged breach of contract and sexual discrimination
Judicial HellholesNew Criticism of Horrible Alabama Supreme Court Decision
A new analysis of that horrible drugmaker liability decision by the Alabama Supreme Court last month shows that the decision is not only out of step with virtually all of American tort law, but also is predicated on unsound public policy
Judicial HellholesATRA Ally in NY Authors Insightful Wall Street Journal Letter
ATRA’s chief ally in the Judicial Hellhole known as New York is the author of an insightful letter to the editor in today’s Wall Street Journal
Judicial HellholesLouisiana AG’s ‘Pay-to-Play’ Party Rolls on in 2013
The all too cozy relationships between Louisiana’s attorney general and various personal injury lawyers and law firms that were criticized in the latest Judicial Hellholes report appear to be continuing in the New Year
Judicial HellholesFirst Outrageous State Supreme Court Ruling of 2013
It only took eleven days for a state supreme court to issue the first outrageous liability-expanding ruling of 2013. The ruling abandons a core principle of law– that manufacturers are liable only for injuries caused by their own products, not the products of others — and replaces it with, what is known in strict legal terms as, the “someone has to pay” approach.
Judicial HellholesIllinois High Court Limits Forum Shopping with Case from Former Judicial Hellhole
Shortly before the New Year, the Illinois Supreme Court announced a long-awaited decision that may appropriately serve to limit forum shopping somewhat in a state full of Judicial Hellholes notorious for the practice
Judicial Hellholes, UncategorizedMadison County Shatters Asbestos Lawsuits Record
Madison County, Illinois, currently ranked as the #3 Judicial Hellhole nationwide, managed in 2012 to shatter its old record for newly filed asbestos lawsuits
Judicial HellholesCase Gives SCOTUS Chance to Rein in Class-Action Extortionists in Once and Future Judicial Hellhole
Miscarriages of civil justice in plaintiff-friendly Miller County, Arkansas are nothing new (see the 2006 Judicial Hellholes report, p. 22), but now they’re the makings of an important case on appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court — a case that invites the justices to rein in once and for all the class-action extortionists that continue to thrive, despite the best intentions of a 2005 federal reform law.
Judicial HellholesAsbestos Racketeers Suffer Huge Loss, Plaintiffs’ Bar PR Campaign Devastated
With the personal injury bar gearing up a multimillion-dollar public relations and lobbying campaign in 2013 aimed at winning back some of the ground lost to ATRA and other tort reform groups in recent years, a federal jury in West Virginia took just two-and-a-half hours yesterday to return civil verdicts on all counts against two personal injury lawyers and a discredited former physician for conspiring to file fraudulent asbestos claims
Judicial Hellholes, Points of LightATRA ‘Disappointed’ by Jindal’s Endorsement of Hughes for High Court
The American Tort Reform Association is voicing its disappointment with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s recent endorsement of the “trial lawyers’ candidate” in an upcoming runoff election for a seat on the state’s supreme court
Judicial HellholesWV Voters Finally Cast Out AG McGraw, and Other Good & Bad Election News from Judicial Hellholes
Voters in perennial judicial hellhole West Virginia have finally had enough of long-serving anti-business Attorney General Darrell McGraw. Californians rejected trial lawyer-written, lawsuit-promoting Proposition 37. And Madison County, Illinois voters incredibly retained shamed pay-to-play Judge Barbara Crowder who fomrerly oversaw the small rural county’s crooked and largest-in-the-nation asbestos docket
Judicial Hellholes, Points of LightLeading West Virginia Newspaper Endorses Challenger Morrisey for Attorney General
West Virginia’s leading newspaper has endorsed challenger Patrick Morrisey over four-term incumbent Darrell McGraw in that state’s closely watched race for attorney general
Judicial HellholesGroup Working for ‘Judicial Integrity’ in Madison County Getting Media’s Attention
With election season heading for the homestretch, a grassroots group in once-and-future judicial hellhole Madison County, Illinois continues to garner plenty of regional media attention as it works to convince voter’s there to vote “no” on four judges up for retention
Judicial HellholesWheelchair Lawyer Alleged to Be Pervert and Fraud
In what might best be described as a what-goes-around-comes-around lawsuit, four female former employees of an infamous California wheelchair lawyer allege that he is guilty of sexual harassment, employment discrimination and fraud
Judicial HellholesNew York City’s Tort Liability Soars
Led by a record 2,004 lawsuits against the police department, New York City’s tort liability for the year ending July 31 reportedly grew a whopping 28%
Judicial HellholesReforms Drive Down Mass Tort Filings in Philadelphia
Even though some personal injury lawyers still deny that Philadelphia was a judicial hellhole in the first place, much-needed reforms imposed earlier this year by the chief administrative judge seem to have dramatically halted the explosive growth in recent years of new mass tort filings there
Judicial Hellholes