It is that time of year again. The American Tort Reform Foundation has published its annual Judicial Hellholes report evaluating jurisdictions “where judges in civil cases systematically apply laws and court procedures in an unfair and unbalanced manner.”

California as a state has long held the distinction of topping out the list either as the top “Judicial Hellhole” or at least in the top five due to its unjust, plaintiff-friendly civil justice system.

Citing a 2024 estimate from the The Perryman Group, ATRF notes, “California residents pay a “tort tax” of $2,458.33 (fourth highest in the nation) and 829,255 jobs are lost each year” due to lawsuit abuses and related costs. They note, “If California enacted specific reforms targeting lawsuit abuse, the state would increase its gross prod

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