The Plaquemines Parish Council recently voted on whether to withdraw from a series of coastal lawsuits against the gas and oil industries, an issue that has left leaders and organizations at odds, with some groups pushing for additional litigation against the energy industries and others committing to fight until the lawsuits stop altogether.
Following several reports on the poor legal climate in Louisiana, the need is increasing to seek out reform options for the flawed tort system that is costing the state $1.1 billion a year and 15,500 jobs.
Questions are being raised with calls for reform since Louisiana ranked as the 8th worst state in the nation for frivolous lawsuits, excessive judgments and other legal abuses.
Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch and Louisiana Coalition for Common Sense have estimated that the cost of excessive litigation in the state tops $1 billion, with 15,500 jobs lost per year.
Recent lawsuits filed against truck drivers regarding incidents that allegedly occurred at the same Gentilly truck stop are raising questions about the legitimacy of the lawsuits and eliciting comments from several groups and organizations, including the Louisiana Coalition for Common Sense.
Louisiana has lost more than $2 billion due to excessive litigation, according to a new report, and a civil justice reform lobby group says the situation is leading to job losses and unpredictability for the state's consumers and businesses.
Plaquemines Parish government has allowed plaintiff attorneys to file suit on its behalf for coastal erosion against a number of oil, gas and pipeline companies, but locals in the parish are overwhelmingly opposed to the lawsuit.
A new Economic Benefits of Tort Reform report released by Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch reveals civil court costs deriving from excessive litigation is gravely impacting the state economy.
Jim Harris thinks the nearly $5 billion plaintiff award in the latest Johnson & Johnson asbestos trial says more about the jurisdiction where the verdict was rendered than it does about the strength of the evidence presented by the plaintiffs.
BATON ROUGE — Legal experts aren't giving up on their effort to change Louisiana's jury trial laws, which they say are to blame for the state's sky-high automobile insurance rates.
