Louisiana Named A ‘Judicial Hellhole’ For the 9th Straight Year
It's generally accepted that Louisiana could do much better when it comes to the way we make, apply, and punish people for breaking the law. While we are historically doing better in that department this year than we did in 2020, some experts think we have a long way to go.
Louisiana Has Been Classified as a "Judicial Hellhole" For the Last 9 Years
Every year, the American Tort Reform Association compiles a list of the best and the worst places in the country for what they call lawsuit abuse, "litigation tourism" (when out-of-state attorneys file multiple lawsuits in the same geographical "hot-spot"), and state leadership "seems eager to expand civil liability at every given opportunity." Louisiana garnered a spot on the 2021 list of "Judicial Hellholes," earning our 9th straight place of dis-honor on the shameful directory.
Louisiana isn't Alone on The 2021 List of "Judicial Hellholes"
This year, Louisiana came 6th on the list of "Judicial Hellholes" compiled by the American Tort Reform Association. The annual list also named South Carolina at #8 (for asbestos litigation), the city of St. Louis at #7, Louisiana at #6, 2 counties in Illinois came in at #5, the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania tied at #4, the Georgia Supreme Court at #3, New York at #2, and California at #1.
Louisiana's Place on The 2021 List of "Judicial Hellholes" is Bad, But We're Doing Better
While being named a "Judicial Hellhole" is exactly a feather in Louisiana's cap, we are doing better. Last year we were ranked at #5 and in 2013 we came in at #2. That means we are trending away from our hellhole status, just not very quickly.