REPORT: St. Louis Ranks as a Top 10 Judicial Hellhole

December 5, 2023 Last Edit: June 5, 2025

‘Absent substantial reform, the next 10 years won’t look any different, with small business owners and hardworking families continuing to shoulder the burden of lawsuit abuse.’

REPORT: St. Louis Ranks as a Top 10 Judicial Hellhole

JEFFERSON CITY (Dec. 5, 2023) – With St. Louis ranking No. 8 on the American Tort Reform Foundation’s annual list of “Judicial Hellholes,” NFIB State Director Brad Jones called on lawmakers to prioritize judicial reform at the statehouse. “For 10 years, St. Louis has earned the title of ‘judicial hellhole’. The challenges are pervasive, from the admission of questionable evidence in our courtrooms and the surge in ‘nuclear’ verdicts with massive payouts to the influence of trial attorneys at the statehouse. The integrity of our judicial system is at stake. Absent substantial reform, the next 10 years won’t look any different, with small business owners and hardworking families continuing to shoulder the burden of lawsuit abuse. This should serve as a wake-up call for lawmakers. It’s well past time to enact meaningful judicial reform so that all Missourians receive a fair shake.” According to the report’s findings:

Missouri residents pay an annual “tort tax” of nearly $1,000 while nearly 58,000 jobs are lost each year.
In St. Louis specifically, that number jumps to $1,608 paid by each resident in an annual “tort tax.”

CLICK HERE to read the full report.

Topics:

Taxes

State:

Missouri

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