To Create a Pro-Jobs Business Climate, Include Tort Reform
Lawrence McQuillan, who with Hovannes Abramyan researched and wrote the Pacific Research Institute’s recent report, “U.S. Tort Liability Index: 2010 Report,” has been writing localized op-eds promoting tort reform as a jobs creator.
- Great Falls Tribune, “Tort reform would bring much-needed jobs to state”
- Pottstown Mercury, “Tort reform would bring jobs to Pennsylvania”
- Los Angeles Daily News, “State could jump-start its economy with tort reform”
Even California? Yes, even California. From “How Lawsuit Reform Could Help California Recover“:
Asbestos awards in California’s more plaintiff-friendly counties such as Alameda and San Francisco average $3 million more than in other counties, according to an article in the American Bar Association Journal. Every business day, on average, personal injury lawyers also file nearly five class-action lawsuits in the Golden State. That destroys jobs in California.
Entrepreneurs prefer to start, expand, or relocate businesses in states with balanced tort systems that discourage excessive litigation. These decisions matter a great deal. In 2006, job growth was 57 percent greater in the 10 states with the best tort climates than in the 10 worst states.
Business leaders remain leery of California because of its sky-high tort costs and skewed courtrooms, where business defendants lose at trial 65 percent of the time. The fear of lawsuits also causes companies to withdraw or withhold beneficial products.
