Watch CBS News

Cook County Listed Among Top 'Judicial Hellholes'

CHICAGO (WBBM) - A group that advocates for tort reform lists the Cook County courts among what it calls the nation's top "judicial hellholes."

LISTEN: Newsradio 780's Regine Schlesinger Reports

Podcast

The American Tort Reform Association says the Cook County court system is among the most sympathetic to plaintiffs in liability and malpractice lawsuits.

While trial lawyers would say that's a good thing, the Association's Ed Murnane says it has costs. "It's a job killer and it's a health care killer. There was a recent survey that showed that half of Illinois medical students plan to practice in other states because of the legal environment in Illinois."

Murnane says the plaintiff-friendly courts here drive away businesses. The group lists Cook County 5th on its list of "judicial hellholes," behind the courts of Philadelphia, Los Angeles, West Virginia and south Florida. It also puts two downstate counties, Madison and St. Clair, on what it calls its watch list.

Tort reform is defined as a change in laws that impose civil liability for torts especially to limit liability for punitive damages.

Read the report HERE

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.