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Washington,
D.C., December 16, 2005 —
The American Tort
Reform Association (ATRA) today praised the Illinois Supreme
Court for reversing the $10 billion class action lawsuit against
Philip Morris and remanding the case back to Madison County,
Illinois—a jurisdiction designated a Judicial Hellhole®. The
high court instructed the trial court in Madison County to
dismiss the case.
“We applaud the
Illinois Supreme Court for sending the case back to Madison
County where the initial abuses of the state civil justice
system took place,” ATRA President Sherman Joyce said. “By
reversing the $10 billion award, the Court is sending a clear
message to Madison County that fairness and balance should be
restored in that jurisdiction. This type of out-of-control
litigation depresses the state economy and jeopardizes access to
healthcare.”
The fourth annual
Judicial Hellholes report was released this week and is
available on the ATRA website at
www.atra.org. Madison County was, for the fourth year in a
row, cited as a Judicial Hellhole. Litigation tourists, who
neither lived nor were injured in Judicial Hellholes, are guided
by their personal injury lawyers who seek out these
jurisdictions because they know they will produce a positive
outcome, an excessive verdict or settlement, a favorable
precedent, or both.
To view the statement
released by Illinois Civil Justice League President Ed
Murnane,
Click Here |
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The American Tort Reform Association (ATRA)
is the only national organization dedicated exclusively to tort
and liability reform through public education and the enactment
of legislation. ATRA’s membership includes non profits, small
and large companies, as well as state and national trade,
business, and professional associations.
www.atra.org
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