BILLBOARD QUOTES BUSH, REMINDS SOUTH FLORIDIANS THEY LIVE IN A "JUDICIAL HELLHOLE"

Abusive Litigation in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach Counties Cited as Economic Drag

Washington, DC, March 15, 2007 -- The American Tort Reform Association today unveiled a new billboard in South Florida to remind residents there that its annual Judicial Hellholes® report has now cited Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, collectively, as one of the nation’s worst places to be sued for three straight years.

Noting that the new billboard, located along I-595 near I-95, invites visits to ATRA’s website (www.atra.org) where details of South Florida’s status as a Judicial Hellhole are posted, ATRA President Sherman Joyce said, “Our message, and the message of former Gov. Jeb Bush is clear: Abusive litigation jeopardizes economic growth and job creation.” The billboard features a quote from Bush, “one of Florida’s most prominent and effective tort reform advocates,” according to Joyce.

“Whether it’s a Palm Beach judge shamelessly playing to the cameras, Miami-Dade’s ‘rocket docket’ for asbestos litigation and its coercive effect on defendants, or frequently improper evidentiary rulings, class action certifications and medical malpractice payouts, South Florida continues to earn its reputation as a Judicial Hellhole,” explained Joyce.

“Too often, courts in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties have stubbornly resisted statewide tort reforms that Gov. Bush and the legislature wisely enacted during the past several years. They don’t seem particularly concerned about the toll this takes on the region’s economy, including higher costs for consumers and health care patients. Until voters insist on changes, problems are likely to persist.

“Of course, we’ll persist in our efforts to educate the public, too, and another ATRA billboard or two may well pop up in South Florida down the road,” Joyce concluded, adding that the current billboard’s Broward County location sits conveniently between Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties but is not intended to imply that Broward courts comprise a Judicial Hellhole.

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The American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) is the only national organization dedicated exclusively to tort and liability reform through public education and the enactment of legislation. ATRA's membership includes non profits, small and large companies, as well as state and national trade, business, and professional associations.