Frivolous lawsuits threaten economy

Unfortunately, a new report says Illinois is competing for another dubious title: Lawsuit Abuse Capital of the Country.

The 2008 "Judicial Hellholes" report, issued by the American Tort Reform Association, examined courts and legal systems across the country and named Cook County the third worst "judicial hellhole" in the country. According to the report, Cook County is home to 41 percent of the state's population, and yet 65 percent of the state's lawsuits are filed in Cook County, underscoring the widespread belief that personal injury lawyers are targeting Cook County as a friendly place to file a lawsuit - even if that lawsuit has nothing to do with Cook County.

The culture of lawsuit abuse that runs rampant in Cook County and throughout Illinois has created a situation where we are importing lawsuits and exporting jobs and opportunities. It defies logic to expect Illinois' economy to grow under these circumstances even in good economic times, and the Chicago area's status as a judicial hellhole is only going to make a bad economic situation worse.

At a time of great economic crisis, we can ill afford to continue in our failure to change Illinois' reputation as a magnet for lawsuit abuse. It is time we all stood together and put an end to Illinois' culture of political corruption and lawsuit abuse.

Travis Akin

Executive Director

Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch