2016-2017 Executive Summary
The 2016-2017 Judicial Hellholes report shines its brightest spotlight on nine courts or areas of the country that have developed reputations as Judicial Hellholes.
Hidalgo County, Texas
The American Tort Reform Association has issued a “Hailstorm Lawsuit Warning” for Hidalgo County, Texas, that may be extended to
Newport News, Virginia
Prior versions of this report have noted the generally positive reputation enjoyed by Virginia for its civil litigation climate. Those
Louisiana
Over decades Louisiana has developed a Judicial Hellholes reputation for plaintiff-friendly venue shopping, permissive judges, double-dipping asbestos lawsuits and trust claims,
Cook, Madison and St. Clair Counties, Illinois
Illinois’ quintessentially urban Cook County and largely rural Madison and St. Clair counties are at opposite ends of the state.
New Jersey
The last time New Jersey was recognized as a full-blown Judicial Hellhole and not simply cited among this report’s Watch
Florida Supreme Court and South Florida
No state high court in recent years has been more brazenly inclined to disregard the will of the legislative and executive branches
New York City Asbestos Litigation
In addition to graduating from law school, the justices presiding over New York City’s Asbestos Litigation (NYCAL) court also seem
California
It takes a civil justice system shock analogous to San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake to dislodge California from its typically ignominious
The City of St. Louis
As regular readers of this report know, it hasn’t been easy in recent years to knock incorrigibly litigious and civil
