SACRAMENTO, CA – California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) today released a report analyzing litigation costs for 12 California school districts over a period of three fiscal years from 2010 to 2013. The report found that the districts combined spent $125.6 million over the three years.
High litigation costs contributed to budget crunches at districts across the state, resulting in fewer educational programs. Almost all of the districts examined faced multi-million dollar budget cuts during the years examined.
“California’s schools rank poorly compared to other states,” said Tom Scott, CALA Executive Director. “When abusive lawsuits force schools have to pay high litigation costs, it reduces the funds available to improve our schools and student performance.”
“Passing common sense legal reforms would reduce the number of abusive lawsuits school districts face, and allow schools to allocate more resources where they’re needed,” Scott continued. “These numbers reflect just 12 of California’s school districts. With nearly 1,000 districts in the state, there’s no telling what the total number is, and how badly the cost of litigation is hurting our education system.”
The report examined verdicts, settlements and outside counsel costs to Central Unified School District (Fresno), Elk Grove Unified School District, Kern High School District, Long Beach Unified School District, Los Angeles Unified School District, San Bernardino City Unified School District, San Diego Unified School District, San Francisco Unified School District, San Jose Unified School District, Santa Ana Unified School District, and Stockton Unified School District.
The report in its entirety can be found on www.cala.com.