Noting there’s still a lot of work to do to reform and improve the state’s civil justice system, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry this morning is cheering the release of the American Tort Reform Association’s latest Judicial Hellholes report, in which Louisiana has moved from No. 2 on last year’s ranking to No. 7 this year.
“The shameless feeding frenzy initiated by personal injury lawyers and enabled by a plaintiff-friendly federal judge that began in the wake of 2010’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill continues, seemingly unabated, and other long-standing problems in civil courts there combine to qualify Louisiana as a Judicial Hellhole for another year,” says the ATRA in its latest rankings. “But its drop in the rankings from #2 last year to #7 shows that progress is being made—if not so much by the courts themselves than by lawmakers determined to improve the Pelican State’s reputation for civil justice.”
LABI says the improved ranking reflects the work it has done on lawsuit reform during recent legislative sessions. The association notes that the report specifically mentions three tort reform bills LABI successfully lobbied for during this year’s session.
“This year’s Hellholes Report demonstrates LABI’s effectiveness at the capitol this past session, but more work remains to be done,” LABI President Stephen Waguespack said in a prepared statement. “Building on the successes of the 2014 legislative session, LABI and our members are emboldened and more determined than ever to change the Louisiana judicial system and bring a fair and balanced legal environment to businesses and taxpayers alike.”
LABI says its research shows the need for additional transparency and accountability within the judicial system itself.
“For example, basic information on budgeting and expenditures that is readily available to taxpayers on the work of the executive and legislative branches of government is simply not accessible within the Louisiana court system,” LABI Vice President of Policy and Research Camille Conaway said in the statement. “We hope to work with legislators to address this imbalance in 2015.”
LABI has more details on its tort reform efforts. See the complete Judicial Hellholes report. —Steve Sanoski
