Tort litigation in Florida? It's a sin, institute says

By TIMES STAFF WRITER
Published May 13, 2006

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So how is Florida doing on the national tort-o-meter? Not well, says a free-market research group.

When it comes to torts - civil litigation involving injury to a person or property - Florida is a "sinner." The 2006 "tort litigation index" was unveiled by the Pacific Research Institute to show how "frivolous" litigation is hurting states' economies, chasing away businesses and eliminating jobs.

Texas scored best in the index, meaning it places monetary caps on damages and is instituting a range of tort reforms.

Vermont was worst, said San Francisco-based Pacific Research, followed by such East Coast states as Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Pacific warned the Sunshine State was a "sinner," ranking 42nd among states. Florida is "poised to fall" in future rankings because of its high monetary tort losses and a lack of major tort reform.

"For states that don't institute reforms - a metric factored into the ranking - the writing is on the wall," said Dr. Lawrence J. McQuillan, co-author of the study and Pacific Research director of business and economic studies.