HELLHOLES IN LA., TEXAS:

The American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) released a report, “Bringing Justice to Judicial Hellholes 2003,” identifying 13 jurisdictions where it believes the law is consistently applied unfairly. Three of those jurisdictions are located in Texas and one is in Louisiana. “Personal injury lawyers bring cases to ‘Judicial Hellholes’ because they know these courts will produce a large verdict or settlement, a favorable precedent, or both,” stated ATRA President Sherman Joyce in a bulletin announcing the report’s publication. He pointed out that even some personal injury lawyers agree with the problems in these jurisdictions. Some examples of abuse documented in ATRA’s report include: 1.) Madison County, Ill., saw a 2,050 percent increase in class action lawsuits from 1998-2001. ATRA identified it as the worst “Judicial Hellhole” of 2003, and asserted that county judges there receive three-quarters of their contributions from personal injury lawyers. 2.) Mississippi’s 22nd Judicial District is reportedly being investigated by the FBI after allegations aired on the television program, “60 Minutes,” claiming some jurors may have received payment for their verdicts. According to ATRA, the jurisdiction is infamous for certifying mass actions and handing down irrational jury verdicts. 3.) In Orleans Parish, La., one judge celebrated with jurors after a large verdict and invited jurors to have their pictures taken with him and plaintiff’s counsel Johnnie Cochran, ATRA reported. The 13 trial courts and deemed 2003’s “Judicial Hellholes” include: Madison County, Ill.; Jefferson County, Texas; Mississippi’s 22nd Judicial Circuit (Copiah, Claiborne and Jefferson Counties); Hidalgo County, Texas; Orleans Parish, La.; Kanawha County, W. Va.; Nueces County, Texas; Los Angeles County, Calif.; Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Pa.; Miami-Dade County, Fla.; the City of St. Louis, Mo.; and Holmes and Hinds Counties, Miss. The three “dishonorable mentions” are: Hampton County, S. C.; the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia; and appellate level courts in New Mexico. ATRA’s report includes a new section entitled, “Points of Light,” which recognizes judges whose decisions have addressed critical problems in the administration of justice and state policymakers who have helped pass laws that curb lawsuit abuse in wayward jurisdictions. “Bringing Justice to Judicial Hellholes 2003” is available online at http://www.atra.org.

Topics Texas Louisiana