Cook County trails only Los Angeles as having the worst legal environment in the country. Even though it is home to less than half the state's population, Cook County accounts for nearly two-thirds of all of Illinois' civil litigation. And last November, a Cook County judge struck down a significant legal reform designed to control runaway awards in medical malpractice lawsuits.
Illinois ranks as one of the worst states (45th out of 50) for lawsuit abuse. Recent positive rulings by the Illinois Supreme Court and improvements in Madison County courts have been more than cancelled out by growing lawsuit abuse problems in Cook County courts and by a full-scale trial lawyer assault in the state legislature.
Why Does it Matter if Cook County's Courts are Viewed as Fair? The respondents in this poll are major American employers -- and nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of them believe the litigation environment in a state could influence important business decisions.
What does that mean? It means companies are hesitant to do business in a state or county with a reputation for lawsuit abuse. Lost business means fewer jobs and stagnant wages. Doctors quit providing medical care or leave the state because they can't afford insurance.
"The bottom line is this: even though we're seeing some improvements, from the perspective of global competitiveness, America's legal climate is only as good as our worst states. So we need to keep working," Donohue said.
