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Member, Beacon International Group, Ltd.
WASHINGTON—Philadelphia tops the list of “judicial hellholes” in an annual report released Tuesday by the American Tort Reform Assn.
ATRA defines judicial hellholes as jurisdictions where “equal justice is not provided,” ATRA General Counsel Victor Schwartz said during a telephone news conference.
According to the report, the “philosophy and trial practices” of Philadelphia’s complex litigation center and the area’s “reputation for excessive verdicts” greatly concern Washington-based ATRA.
Other jurisdictions on this year’s list include California, particularly Humboldt and Los Angeles counties; West Virginia; South Florida; Cook County, Ill.; and Clark County, Nev.
Several of the jurisdictions also appeared on last year’s list.
But “hellholes are not forever; they change and improve,” Mr. Schwartz said.
ATRA President Sherman Joyce cited Florida as an example of a “point of light,” where lawmakers tightened the standard of proof for slip-and-fall cases and promoted transparency in hiring of private lawyers to represent the state, among other steps.
Mr. Joyce also said the report’s format has been changed to an online format from its previous print format. The new format will allow more frequent updates, he said.
Reacting to the ATRA report, the American Assn. for Justice, which represents the plaintiffs bar, blasted its conclusions.
“Today, the American Tort Reform Assn. again recycled its annual ‘Judicial Hellholes’ report, complete with the same lies and distortions as past editions,” the AAJ said in a statement. “The effort is funded by negligent corporations and industries to undermine the civil justice system and prevent American workers and consumers from getting justice.”
The ATRA report, “Judicial Hellholes 2010/2011,” is available at www.judicialhellholes.org.