NFIB State Director Leah Long says the American Tort Reform Foundation’s latest Judicial Hellholes report underscores the need for legislative action to balance the scales of justice in Louisiana.

The state ranked No. 10 on the foundation’s list in large part because of what it describes as “nuclear verdicts,” jury awards that exceed $10 million.

“This year, an auto accident case in a Louisiana case resulted in a $220 million verdict,” the foundation said in its report. “Meanwhile, the Louisiana Supreme Court caved to political pressure from the plaintiffs’ bar and discarded established constitutional protections in favor of lawsuits.

“Public trust in the state’s judicial system has been on the decline and this latest action only magnifies this concern.”

Long said, “Small businesses are especially vulnerable when it comes to frivolous legal attacks and outsized jury awards. Small, family-owned businesses don’t have teams of lawyers standing ready to help defend them against every claim. The cost of defending itself against just one disingenuous lawsuit can be enough to put a small business out of business.

“Our small business members are asking lawmakers to support legislation maintaining a legal system that’s fair to everyone.”

Click here to read the full report.