From Illinois Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse:
Judicial Hellholes Ranking Released
CHICAGO, IL — Illinois Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (IL CALA) issued the following statement after the American Tort Reform Foundation released its 2025 to 2026 Judicial Hellholes report naming Cook County, Madison County and St. Clair County together as the 7th worst Judicial Hellhole in the nation.
Lawsuit abuse punishes small businesses and everyday families
“The Judicial Hellholes report lays out exactly what Illinois families already know,” said Phil Melin, Executive Director IL CALA. “Lawsuit abuse is draining household budgets, hurting small businesses and making it harder for people to build a life here. Trial lawyers profit while the rest of the state pays the bill.”
Illinois stands out for all the wrong reasons
According to a Perryman Group report, Illinois residents pay an annual tort tax of $1,919, equal to $7,676 for a family of four every year. Chicago residents pay $2,158 annually due to excessive litigation costs, and more than 208,000 jobs disappear statewide each year because of lawsuit abuse.
The report highlights a surge of out of state filings, extensive no injury claims and inflated verdicts that have made Illinois one of the most attractive venues in the country for litigation tourism.
Illinois legislature caters to the trial lawyer lobby
IL CALA’s 2025 Follow the Money Report documented the extraordinary political influence of the trial lawyer lobby in Springfield. That influence was reflected again this year when lawmakers passed a forum shopping bill allowing out of state plaintiffs to sue out of state companies in Illinois for disputes with no connection to the state.
American Tort Reform Association President Tiger Joyce underscored this problem in ATRA’s release, stating, “These counties are magnets for out of state cases based on agenda driven science.” Joyce also warned that “Gov. Pritzker might as well post ‘Closed for Business’ signs at the state borders.”
BIPA reform improves the legal climate, but key questions remain
IL CALA played a central role in advocating for reform of the Biometric Information Privacy Act after years of abusive no injury lawsuits that targeted local employers. Lawmakers approved an important fix in 2024.
“I have spoken with dozens of small businesses victimized by catastrophic exposure due to victimless statutory BIPA violations,” Melin said. “Employers across Illinois gave a collective sigh of relief when the BIPA guillotine was removed from above their heads.”
State and federal courts are currently divided on whether the reforms apply retroactively, a decision that will have significant consequences for thousands of pending cases.
Illinois cannot afford the cost of inaction
“The Judicial Hellholes Report shows why IL CALA exists,” Melin said. “Families are paying thousands of dollars in hidden costs. Employers are paying more just to stay open. Jobs are leaving the state. Illinois needs a justice system that protects people rather than punishing them. Our mission is to restore fairness so that businesses can grow, jobs can return and every community has a chance to thrive.”
The full ATRA Judicial Hellholes report is available at JudicialHellholes.org.
