LLAW PRESS ROOM

Baton Rouge, LA – Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch (LLAW) is disappointed that Governor Landry has used his executive power to veto Representative Michael Melerine’s HB 423, which would have revised Louisiana’s judicially-created collateral source rule, increasing transparency in our civil justice system.

BATON ROUGE, LA (June 4, 2024) – Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch (LLAW) represents approximately 20,000 Louisianans who are tired of paying the price when our civil justice system is abused. Advocates from across the state want meaningful legal reform so we can all begin to feel relief from the costs of “jackpot justice” that are passed down to every single one of us in the form of higher prices for goods and services. Insurance Commissioner Temple’s comprehensive package of legal reform measures will bring more transparency, fairness, and balance to our system, while addressing the rising cost of everything from groceries to insurance.

January 11, 2024 (Baton Rouge, LA) – Earlier this week, Louisiana began a new chapter with the swearing in of a new governor and legislature. To ensure the need for reforms to Louisiana’s civil justice system remain top of mind, Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch (LLAW) released data measuring the impact of excessive civil court costs on the state’s overall economy and in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), specifically.

December 5, 2023 (Baton Rouge, LA) – Louisiana has again been named the seventh-worst civil justice jurisdiction in the U.S. in the American Tort Reform Foundation’s (ATRF) 2023-24 Judicial Hellholes Report®, released earlier today. This annual report ranks the most unjust local courts and state civil justice systems in the country. This marks the fourteenth year Louisiana has been named in the report and the second year in a row the state has claimed the number seven spot.

DECEMBER 5, 2023 (WASHINGTON) — Louisiana clinched the No. 7 Judicial Hellholes® spot in the American Tort Reform Foundation’s 2023-2024 report, shedding light on an ongoing crisis demanding immediate attention.

Baton Rouge, LA — As the current legislative nears its midpoint, Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch (LLAW) released data measuring the impact of excessive civil court costs on the state’s overall economy and in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Areas, specifically. These impacts were derived from the Economic Benefits of Tort Reform study conducted by The Perryman Group for Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse using extensive survey data, industry information and a variety of corroborative source material. The results are clear – Louisiana continues to lose jobs and revenue because of the state’s civil justice system.

Louisiana has landed at No. 7 in the American Tort Reform Foundation’s (ATRF) 2022-2023 Judicial Hellholes report, ranking the most unjust local courts and state civil justice systems in the country. This marks the thirteenth year jurisdictions in Louisiana have been named in the report, with the state only improving by one spot from last year’s rankings.

New data shows lost jobs and revenue in state’s major metropolitan areas

Baton Rouge, LA — Prior to the start of the legislative session next week, Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch (LLAW)  released data measuring the impact of excessive civil court costs on the state’s overall economy and in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Areas, specifically. These impacts were derived from the Economic Benefits of Tort Reform study conducted by The Perryman Group for Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse using extensive survey data, industry information and a variety of corroborative source material. The results are clear – Louisiana continues to lose jobs and revenue because of the state’s civil justice system.

Costs result in significant losses to Louisiana families, businesses, and tax rolls;

More than $2 billion in savings projected with additional legal reforms

Baton Rouge, LA — Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch (LLAW) today released the 2021 Impact of Tort Costs and the Potential Economic Benefits of Tort Reform, an assessment measuring the impact of excessive civil court costs on Louisiana’s economy. Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) commissioned John Dunham & Associates (JDA) to conduct analysis on these impacts and the potential economic benefits of tort reform in Louisiana.  

WASHINGTON – Louisiana ranks near the top of the nation’s Judicial Hellholes at No. 4 in 2019 because of the involvement of contingency-fee lawyers in parish coastal lawsuits, the legislature’s failure to address the high cost of auto insurance caused by lawsuit abuse, and judicial misconduct plaguing the state.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WASHINGTON, D.C.— Louisiana’s lawsuit climate ranks 49th—the second-worst in the nation—in a new national survey released today by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR). In the survey, New Orleans/Orleans Parish’s legal climate ranks as one of the ten worst local jurisdictions in the nation.

BATON ROUGE, LA (JULY 9, 2018 )— Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch (LLAW) has announced that Lana Sonnier Venable will become its next Executive Director. LLAW is a local non-partisan, nonprofit, citizen watchdog group dedicated to stopping lawsuit abuse that hurts Louisiana’s families and threatens local businesses and jobs.

BATON ROUGE, LA (Dec. 5, 2017)— Louisiana is still one of the nation’s worst Judicial Hellholes®, according to a new report released today by the American Tort Reform Foundation (ATRF). The state has been singled out for unbalanced courts and excessive litigation eight years in a row and ranked as the nation’s eighth-worst Judicial Hellhole this year.

BATON ROUGE, LA (Oct. 30, 2017) – Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch Executive Director Melissa Landry issued the following statement today regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to revive the lawsuit filed by the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority – East (SLFPA-E):

BATON ROUGE, LA (Oct. 30, 2017) – Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch Executive Director Melissa Landry issued the following statement today regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to revive the lawsuit filed by the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority – East (SLFPA-E):

Every October, Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch joins legal reform groups from across the country to promote a national dialogue about the devastating impact frivolous lawsuits have on our courts and our economy. The goal is to encourage citizens and lawmakers to take action to reform our legal system.

BATON ROUGE, LA (September 12, 2017)— Legal reform advocates from Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch (LLAW) and the Coalition for Common Sense (CCS) issued the following statements today in response to the release of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform’s 2017 Lawsuit Climate Survey, where Louisiana’s legal environment ranked 50th—the worst in the nation.

BATON ROUGE, LA— Gov. John Bel Edwards’ controversial push to hire his top campaign supporters to represent the state in lawsuits potentially worth billions of dollars earned Louisiana a spot on the American Tort Reform Foundation’s (ATRF) annual “Judicial Hellholes” list.

BATON ROUGE, LA (Jan. 29, 2016)— Local and national legal experts discussed key findings from a new report, “The Costs and Consequences of the Louisiana Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law (LUTPA),” at a roundtable event co-hosted today by the Coalition for Common Sense (CCS), Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch (LLAW) and the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA).