Unfair court systems affect all of Illinois

The American Tort Reform Association named Cook County as a "Judicial Hellhole" - and named two more Illinois counties (Madison and St. Clair) to a national "Watch List."

This means these counties have some of America's "most unfair civil court jurisdictions" - where local employers, consumers, and health-care organizations are most at risk for lawsuit abuse.

Madison County's legal system has made significant progress in recent years, but St. Clair remains a problem. Cook County's legal system remains one of the country's worst, with a burgeoning asbestos lawsuit industry. It was also a Cook County judge who threw out Illinois' vital, common sense medical liability reform law.

If you don't live in one of these counties, don't worry - you're not out of harm's way. Thanks to Illinois' weak lawsuit "venue" laws, every single Illinois county is put at risk by the abuses in these troubled counties.

Here's how it works: Illinois' venue laws allow for lawsuits to be filed in any county in the state, regardless of whether or not that lawsuit has a connection to that county, or even the state of Illinois. What does this mean? It means that personal injury trial lawyers from around the country flock to Illinois to file their lawsuits.

With Illinois' economy hurting - we simply can't afford the cost of lawsuit abuse. Defending against abusive lawsuits costs our existing employers money. Our reputation hurts our ability to attract good-paying jobs. Frivolous lawsuits against doctors and hospitals drive up the cost of health care for our families.

Our legislators certainly have much to deal with in the upcoming legislative session. For the good of our economy and health-care system, one of their priorities should be fixing our state's abusive legal climate.

Ed Murnane

President Illinois Civil Justice League

Arlington Heights