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Every year The American Tort Reform Foundation publishes its Judicial Hellholes® report which highlights prominent jurisdictions across the United States with a reputation (deserved or not) for enabling questionable lawsuits, welcoming forum shopping, and expanding civil liability for defendants. The venues at the top of the list are the usual suspects; courts that have had the “hellhole” reputation for multiple years. This year, however, there is a tie for the worst jurisdiction for defendants in the country. Here are the top nine:<ol><li>Georgia and The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas (tie)</li><li>Cook County, Illinois </li><li>California</li><li>New York City</li><li>South Carolina (asbestos litigation)</li><li>Lansing, Michigan</li><li>Louisiana </li><li>St. Louis</li></ol>The report is available through the link to this post. Whether you agree with ATRF's rankings or not, it is always a thought-provoking read. And this is especially true for defendants who do business in multiple states. <input type='hidden' id='passle-remote-hosting-tracking-shortcode' value='102jpv9'/><blockquote class="wp-block-quote passle-quote has-cite-link">The 2023-2024 Judicial Hellholes® report shines its brightest spotlight on nine jurisdictions that have earned reputations as Judicial Hellholes®. Some are known for allowing innovative lawsuits to proceed or for welcoming litigation tourism, and in all of them state leadership seems eager to expand civil liability at every given opportunity.<cite><a href="https://www.judicialhellholes.org/reports/2023-2024/2023-2024-executive-summary/" aria-label="www.judicialhellholes.org/..." title="https://www.judicialhellholes.org/reports/2023-2024/2023-2024-executive-summary/" target="_blank">www.judicialhellholes.org/...</a></cite></blockquote>

ATRF’s 2024 “Judicial Hellholes” report is out, populated by familiar jurisdictions and a tie at the top.

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