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The Illinois Campaign for Legal Reform is a project of theU.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform(ILR). This campaign has been established to provide you with the latest information on activities and events related to our goal of reforming Illinois' legal system. Illinois can't afford the high price of lawsuit abuse -- and that's why we are working to bring sensible legal reform!
New Study: Illinois One of Worst States in Country for Lawsuit Abuse
This week ILR, in conjunction with renowned research firm Harris Interactive, released Lawsuit Climate 2008: Ranking the States -- its annual study examining the court systems in each state to determine which are the most fair and balanced and which are broken and in need of change.
"Recent positive rulings by the Illinois Supreme Court and improvements in Madison County courts have been more than cancelled out by growing lawsuit abuse problems in Cook County courts and by a full-scale trial lawyer assault in the state legislature," said Tom Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber.
Cook County: Second Worst in the Nation Survey respondents also rated Cook County as the second worst legal environment in the country, trailing only Los Angeles.
Even though it is home to less than half the state's population, Cook County accounts for nearly two-thirds of all of Illinois' civil litigation. And last November, a Cook County judge struck down a significant legal reform designed to control runaway awards in medical malpractice lawsuits.
Why Does it Matter if Illinois' Courts are Viewed as Fair?
The respondents in this poll are major American employers -- and nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of them believe the litigation environment in a state could influence important business decisions.
What does that mean?
It means companies are hesitant to do business in a state with a reputation for lawsuit abuse. Lost business means fewer jobs and stagnant wages. Doctors quit providing medical care or leave the state because they can't afford insurance.
"The bottom line is this: even though we're seeing some improvements, from the perspective of global competitiveness, America's legal climate is only as good as our worst states. So we need to keep working," Donohue said.
