Note – this column was originally published in the Anaheim Independent on April 1, 2015.  Personal injury […]

If you had a cold, and could see two people for advice – […]

In the early 2000s, Mississippi – home of notorious trial lawyer Dickie Scruggs – had a reputation as the nation’s capital for “jackpot justice.” One outrageous verdict after another drove businesses away, and high malpractice premiums left the state’s healthcare system in a crisis. Jefferson County, a favorite venue of trial lawyers, had more plantiffs in mass tort lawsuits than residents!

But in 2004, the state legislature took steps to turn the state around through common sense legal reforms, like caps on damages and restrictions on venue shopping. Since the landmark reforms, Mississippi has attracted new jobs – including a Toyota manufacturing plant as a direct result of legal reforms – and medical liability insurance premiums have fallen more than 60 percent. 

It’s common sense – legal reforms to crack down on lawsuit abuse improve healthcare costs for everyone. Just ask Texas! After the state passed groundbreaking medical malpractice reforms in 2003, Texans’ access to quality and affordable healthcare greatly increased. 

Now, Kentucky is looking to follow Texas’ lead in cracking down on abusive medical malpractice lawsuits. The state legislature is currently considering a bill that would put medical malpractice lawsuits before a review panel before they could go to court, ensuring that only legitimate lawsuits could advance.

Hardly a decade ago, Texas had a reputation as a Judicial Hellhole. The state was known as a place where personal injury lawyers came to play the lawsuit lottery, and Texans were feeling the effects. Their economy suffered and their medical costs were out of control.

Things were particularly bad in Rio Grande Valley, Texas. Medical malpractice suits had driven insurance costs up so much that doctors could hardly afford to practice. In 2003, finally fed up with the legal climate, hundreds of doctors staged a walkout in Rio Grande Valley to draw attention to the problem.

Tort reformers have been turning up all over the internet recently. We took the liberty of rounding up some of the standouts. You may recognize a few friends of Project Lawsuit Abuse in there. Here are some of the newsmakers from around the country.

How Some Prisoners Can Pursue Frivolous Lawsuits at Public Expense

At Project Lawsuit Abuse, we frequently talk about the benefits that tort reform has brought to Texas, but today we have another example of proof.

To mark almost ten years after Texas passed its expansive tort reform measures, the Heritage Foundation’s Texas Public Policy Foundation reviewed the impacts that these reforms have had on both jobs and health care in the state.  Both cases mark record success. 

If you follow Project Lawsuit Abuse, you know how bad California’s legal climate is. It’s the nation’s number one Judicial Hellhole! But get this – trial lawyers are trying to make things even worse for Californians!

The trial lawyer lobby is launching a full out campaign to repeal California’s caps on medical malpractice damages. They’re spending their considerable millions on billboards, advertisements and lobbying on this effort.

Recently, some positive developments have taken place in the world of medical malpractice reform. On Tuesday, the Iowa House approved a bill that would require medical malpractice lawsuits to be reviewed by special panels before proceeding to trial. If passed, the bill would increase courtroom efficiency and help cut down on healthcare costs.

Medical malpractice reform works — just ask Texas! 

Remember 2003?  That year, “Texas Legislature passed sweeping liability reforms to combat healthcare lawsuit abuse, reverse physicians’ skyrocketing professional liability insurance premiums, and help ensure sick and injured Texans can see a doctor when they need one,” write the Dallas Forth Worth Healthcare Daily.

A great advance in tort reform has just been struck down in Missouri, and the effects are predicted to be dire. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled against a law that placed a $350,000 cap on noneconomic damages in malpractice awards to prevent abuse of the courts and runaway jury verdicts.

Now healthcare providers, insurers and other groups are speaking out against this latest action. They point to a time when the governor and legislature were unable to settle on a medical malpractice liability cap.  Before the cap was in place, physician insurance rates doubled and malpractice liability costs “skyrocketed.”

Tort reformers have been turning up all over the internet recently. We took the liberty of rounding up some of the standouts. You may recognize a few friends of Project Lawsuit Abuse in there. Here are some of the newsmakers from around the country: