Key States
State
|
Estimated Annual Cost of Lawsuit Abuse
|
California
|
$32,013,082,242
|
Alabama
|
$4,038,217,888
|
Florida
|
$15,761,819,504
|
Georgia
|
$8,038,302,336
|
Illinois
|
$11,308,346,706
|
Iowa
|
$2,628,171,924
|
Louisiana
|
$4,007,934,408
|
Maryland
|
$4,961,943,768
|
Massachusetts
|
$5,669,286,298
|
Mississippi
|
$2,588,083,968
|
Nevada
|
$2,139,519,002
|
New Hampshire
|
$1,160,606,840
|
New Jersey
|
$7,724,081,550
|
New York
|
$17,059,602,180
|
Ohio
|
$10,157,141,212
|
Oregon
|
$3,225,975,616
|
Pennsylvania
|
$11,012,639,776
|
South Carolina
|
$3,770,003,538
|
Texas
|
$20,253,931,648
|
Washington
|
$5,570,954,474
|
West Virginia
|
$1,609,734,416
|
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The American tort liability system is the most expensive in the world, with costs equaling more than double the average of other industrialized nations. A study conducted by the Tillinghast-Tower Perrin found that the U.S. tort system cost $261 billion in 2005, which translates into $882 per U.S. citizen - $4 less per person than in 2004.
The chart below illustrates how much this can cost each state. For example, with an estimated 36,132,147 citizens, lawsuit abuse costs the State of California an estimated $32,013,082,242 per year! (source: U.S. Tort Costs: 2005 Update, Tillinghast-Towers Perrin, March 2006)
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