A southern Illinois county has again made the list of Judicial Hellholes. A tort reform advocacy group says those “Hellholes” cause businesses to flee a litigious environment while taxpayers are left holding the bag.

The annual report from the American Tort Reform Association places Madison County, Illinois, at No. 5 of the Top 9 judicial hellholes, saying the Illinois county’s courts handle about a third of of the entire country’s asbestos litigation. The ATRA report says hundreds of cases are set for trial in a single day which puts pressure on defendants to settle. The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association says the report and ATRA works to undermine the independence of Illinois courts to help corporate interests avoid responsibility for their dangerous behavior and reckless actions.
However Travis Akin, executive director of the Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch, or I-LAW, says the reason Madison County courts are on the list is because judges there are not independent.

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Akin says the state’s judicial climate increases pressure on taxpayers as businesses either leave or fly over the state.

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Akin says the report is a sign that there needs to be lawsuit reform in Illinois. Meanwhile the ILTA counters the report in a press release saying Illinois’ judicial system is a deterrent to corporate misconduct.