American Tort Reform Association
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Pa. courts move up to No. 2 ranking on ATRA's annual 'Judicial Hellholes' report list
WASHINGTON – According to the latest annual report of “Judicial Hellholes” released Tuesday by the American Tort Reform Association, Pennsylvania courts have garnered the No. 2 ranking for jurisdictions considered unfriendly to businesses – moving up two places from the fourth spot on the list, where they had been ranked last year. -
Tort reform groups applaud W.Va. lawmakers' work on COVID immunity legislation
CHARLESTON – National and statewide tort reform groups are praising West Virginia lawmakers for work on the COVID-19 immunity legislation that could be on the governor’s desk soon. -
Trial lawyers drooling over prospect of Democrats in control of Congress, White House
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - A Washington controlled by Democrats would be a bonanza for the trial bar longing for changes in law and policy that would expand liability law and increase access to the courts, two national experts in tort law told Legal Newsline -
Supreme Court strikes Oregon's $500K cap on pain and suffering damages
EUGENE, Ore. (Legal Newsline) – In a closely watched case, the Oregon Supreme Court has given plaintiffs in the state a boost by striking down the state’s cap on noneconomic damages. -
Georgia Senate committee addresses the growing infamy of the state's legal system
ATLANTA (Legal Newsline) – A Georgia Senate study committee charged with drawing up a plan to reduce the cost of doing business in Georgia has released its report with its recommendations to "safeguard and balance" the state's civil litigation system. -
Philadelphia now the top-ranked 'Judicial Hellhole'; Massive verdicts, like $8B Risperdal case, cited
WASHINGTON – In an annual report of “Judicial Hellholes” released today by the American Tort Reform Association, Philadelphia has claimed the No. 1 ranking – in part due to a historic $8 billion punitive damages verdict rendered this year in litigation connected to Johnson & Johnson’s anti-psychotic drug Risperdal. -
Tort reform head says PFAS issue could cause runaway litigation
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The president of the American Tort Reform Association told members of Congress on Tuesday that litigation could get out of hand unless federal regulators adopt a commonsense, fair approach to dealing with the PFAS chemicals that activists claim are poisoning the nation’s water supplies. -
California reclaims top spot on 'Judicial Hellhole' list; ATRA bemoans state's adoption of 'innovator liability'
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - California tops the list of jurisdictions regarded as "Judicial Hellholes" by a national civil justice reform group. -
N.Y. asbestos bill continues to idle during gridlock; Finance Committee not discussing at today's meeting
ALBANY, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - New York lawmakers won't discuss a bill targeting abuses in the asbestos compensation system during today's meeting of the Senate Finance Committee, where the bill, which is similar to legislation passed in 15 states, has sat for three months since being approved by the Judiciary Committee. -
Three weeks after Silver conviction, NY lawmakers balking at asbestos reform
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – Reform bills that would require asbestos plaintiffs to disclose all potential claims in court appear stalled in the New York legislature, three weeks after former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was convicted for a second time on charges stemming directly from the state’s scandal-prone asbestos court system. -
Appeal to decide future of NYC asbestos court; Companies fed up with their treatment
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – The fight over New York City’s controversial asbestos court is not over, as companies worried about their treatment there are likely to appeal an order that kept alive the possibility for even bigger verdicts. -
Florida tops tort reform group's list of ‘Judicial Hellholes,' while California No. 2
California, City of St. Louis Circuit Court, New York City’s asbestos court and Philadelphia round out the American Tort Reform Association’s top five this year. -
New expert witness guidelines signed into law by Missouri Gov. Greitens
Missouri has taken a step to move St. Louis off the top spot of the American Tort Reform Association's 2016 Judicial Hellholes list. Gov. Eric Greitens recently signed into law a bill that would raise the standard of expert witnesses allowed to testify in cases in the state. -
Justice reform groups continue push for venue, jurisdiction bills in Missouri Legislature
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A recent Missouri Supreme Court ruling regarding jurisdiction that looks like a win for the business community doesn’t negate the need for legislation reforming the way the state’s courts settle venue and joinder matters, civil justice reform advocates say. -
New ATRA program to tackle ‘deep-pocket jurisprudence’
Victor Schwartz, general counsel for the American Tort Reform Association and an expert on tort law, argues some courts in recent years have stretched tort law to impose liability on an innocent party. -
Missouri trial lawyers respond to St. Louis' 'hellhole' designation
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) -- The president of Missouri's plaintiffs lawyer organization says an annual report that this year singled out St. Louis as the jurisdiction most in need of legal reform is designed to scare state lawmakers. -
Plaintiffs attorneys argue tort reform group’s ‘judicial hellholes’ report is ‘rigged’
The Circuit Court for the City of St. Louis is the nation’s No. 1 “judicial hellhole,” according to the American Tort Reform Association’s 2016-17 report, meaning it is the “most unfair” in the nation in terms of handling civil litigation. -
St. Louis court tops list of ‘judicial hellholes’ by tort reform group
California, New York City’s asbestos court, Florida’s Supreme Court and South Florida, and New Jersey rounded out the American Tort Reform Association’s top five this year. -
Groups want Third Circuit to enforce Flonase class action settlement against Louisiana AG
The Washington Legal Foundation is among those calling on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to overturn a Pennsylvania federal court’s decision that, they argue, would undermine class-wide settlements by permitting plaintiff states to file copycat lawsuits despite benefiting from a settlement. -
Sharp again defeats New Jersey class action over flat screens
CAMDEN, N.J. (Legal Newsline) - Sharp Electronics, for a second time, has defeated class action claims over its flat screen televisions brought before Judge William Martini of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.