Georgia Once Again Dubbed A Judicial Hellhole
December 8, 2020 (ATLANTA) —
Today, the American Tort Reform Foundation (ATRF) once again awarded Georgia with the unfavorable distinction as a “Judicial Hellhole.” Georgia’s unjust legal system—which led to a rise in nuclear verdicts, medical liability lawsuits, and premises liability expansion—helped land our state on this troubling list (1). Georgians for Lawsuit Reform (GLR) will continue to work to ensure a fair, balanced, and efficient civil justice system in our state to improve this damaging ranking.
ATRF concluded that Georgia has one of the most unjust local courts and state civil justice systems in the country. The COVID-19 pandemic made way for even more irresponsible lawsuits against small businesses and frontline healthcare workers. Everyday citizens and small businesses bear the bulk of excessive tort costs, as lawsuit abuse results in lost wages and lost jobs.
“Lawsuit abuse harms average, hard-working Americans by clogging our court system with meritless and frivolous cases,” American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) President Tiger Joyce said, “Dollars spent fighting lawsuits are dollars taken away from researching and developing life-saving drugs so desperately needed right now.”
Georgia has not passed comprehensive lawsuit reform legislation in 15 years. Ever since, adverse verdicts have chipped away at these measures. Court decisions have taken away joint liability, dissolved the emergency room statute, canceled non-economic damages caps, and more. The U.S. Chamber announced that Georgia’s inefficient and unfair tort system costs the average family $3,631 per year (2).
“It is disappointing, but not surprising that Georgia finds itself on this list yet again,” GLR Executive Director Meagan Hanson said. “Our state is becoming synonymous with a harmful legal climate. Changes need to be made so our small businesses can flourish, our medical community is protected, and our citizens do not continue to foot the bill for frivolous lawsuits.”
This announcement proves that Georgia must work to balance the scales and avoid being named on this list once again.
To read more, please click on this link: http://www.judicialhellholes.org/hellhole/2019-2020/georgia/
(1) http://www.judicialhellholes.org
(2) https://instituteforlegalreform.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Tort_costs_paper_FINAL_WEB.pdf
