LNL – 2009 Judicial hellholes – Jefferson County Miss. on the watch list
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – South Florida is again the country’s most plaintiffs-friendly jurisdiction, according to the American Tort Reform Foundation’s annual “Judicial Hellholes” report, released Tuesday.
South Florida overtook West Virginia, last year’s No. 1 that fell to the second spot. Cook County in Illinois is third, Atlantic County in New Jersey is fourth, New Mexico appellate courts are fifth and New York City is sixth.
“Our top four are what I would call regulars,” ATRF President Sherman Joyce said. “That’s a great disappointment to us.”
Montgomery and Macon counties in Alabama moved out of the top six, as did Los Angeles County.
On the Watch List are: California; Alabama; Madison County, Ill.; Jefferson County, Miss.; and Gulf Coast and Rio Grande Valley in Texas.
ATRF Counsel Victor Schwartz noted that the Hellhole Report has led to change, especially in places like Madison County.
“The purpose of the report is not to badger, but to encourage equal justice under the law,” Schwartz said.
Read more at Legal News Line
12/15/9
Magnolia Tribune
