Project Lawsuit Abuse Newsmakers

Tort reformers have been turning up all over the internet recently. We took the liberty of rounding up some of the standouts. You may recognize a few friends of Project Lawsuit Abuse in there. Here are some of the newsmakers from around the country:

• Frivolous is expensive
“Abuse. It’s defined as a corrupt practice or the improper and excessive use of something. Like when a man blows up his own home and then abuses the law to make his gas company pay $15 million for the injuries he caused to his own family. Or when a woman sues her own mother for negligence after tripping in the yard and breaking her ankle while her ailing parent was being loaded into an ambulance. Or when a father takes his daughter’s school to court for more than $1 million after he left her alone in the kitchen while she was cooking beans during a parish fair.” Alexandria Town Talk

• State makes ‘judicial hellhole’ watch list
“Louisiana made the “watch list” in a national association’s 2011 report on “judicial hellholes” because of the state’s so-called legacy lawsuits. The suits allow property owners to sue oil companies that pollute their land.” The Houma Courier

• Report names California a 'Judicial Hellhole'
“California ranks second on the annual "Judicial Hellhole" list by the American Tort Reform Foundation, the same ranking as in 2010. The list, started in 2002, identifies especially egregious abuses of the civil justice system, "places where judges systematically apply laws and court procedures in an unfair and unbalanced manner," according to the 2011-2012 report.” The Orange County Register

• Let's not remain in 'hellhole' status
“After winning the World Series in 2006, the St. Louis Cardinals stumbled for four seasons before righting the ship and recapturing the crown this past season. A similar pattern has occurred across the river from Busch Stadium, though unfortunately this news from the metro-east will provoke hand wringing. not hand clapping. The year 2006 was the last time Madison and St. Clair counties were infamously ranked among the nation's worst "judicial hellholes." But after four years of relative improvements in the fairness of the judicial systems, the counties have landed back on the list of the nation's worst "judicial hellholes" in the latest annual rankings by the American Tort Reform Foundation.” The Belleville News Democrat