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.

Florida's latest medical-malpractice bill awaits governor's signature

A new trend has been popping up in the legal world: people are walking into glass doors and suing establishments for not properly marking the doors. Last year, a woman sued for $1 million after running into a clear glass door at an Apple Store; more recently, a man sued a Louisiana hotel after he ran into a glass door and broke his nose.

Editor's Note: Project Lawsuit Abuse regularly highlights lawsuit abuse news from across the country. Today, Melissa Landry, Executive Director of Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch, contributed a guest post for Project Lawsuit Abuse.

Here’s another outrageous, and upsetting, lawsuit. In January 2011, police officer Jason Servo crashed a department vehicle into a ditch while driving under the influence. He was investigated and subsequently fired from the police force, since he broke the law. That seems like a fairly predictable consequence of his actions, right?  

But what was not predictable was Servo’s decision to sue the police department for his firing. His lawyer’s argument is that alcoholism qualifies as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and that he can’t be fired for his actions.

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.

TAB, LULAC partner to advance lawsuit lending bill

Editor's Note: Project Lawsuit Abuse regularly highlights lawsuit abuse news from across the country. Today, Travis Akin, Executive Director of Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch, contributed a guest post for Project Lawsuit Abuse.

Texas Governor Rick Perry is on a mission to lure Illinois businesses to Texas and Illinois politicians are none too pleased about it.

Perry had this to say about his visit to Illinois:

Reform works, and Texas is proof. In 2003, Texas was a judicial hellhole. Abusive lawsuits were out of control, and the state’s unfriendly legal climate was driving away businesses, jobs and doctors.

In the 10 years since, Texas passed some of the most comprehensive legal reform in the nation and the results have been spectacular. Texas is no longer a playground for personal injury lawyers; it’s a hot spot for job creation and economic growth. Texas has experienced a miracle, and legal reform is largely responsible.

The United States has, by far, the most expensive tort system in the world. In 2006, torts cost America $261 billion, meaning that each U.S. citizen pays an annual “lawsuit tax” of about $880.

An additional consequence to outrageous liability standards in the U.S. is that manufacturers have to waste time and money on ridiculous warning labels.  One of the most ubiquitous warning labels might be one that reads “Caution: this coffee may be hot,” which became necessary after the infamous hot coffee lawsuit of 1994.

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.
 
Report: Sacramento city, county spent $38.5M in litigation over four years

Transparency is key to good governance - donations to political candidates shouldn’t entitle anyone to shady contracts with elected officials. But that’s exactly what happened in West Virginia when Darrell McGraw was Attorney General.

When McGraw was in office, he frequently hired personal injury lawyers to conduct lawsuits on behalf of West Virginia, and a good deal of these lawyers had made hefty donations to McGraw’s campaign funds. Additionally, McGraw refused to share the details of these arrangements with the public.