• Florida, California, St. Louis, New York asbestos courts, and Philadelphia top this year’s annual ATRA “Judicial Hellholes” list;
• Also getting attention, Louisiana, with legal climate ranked last among US states in business survey thanks in part to car-crash litigation, government-backed suits [Dee Thompson/Louisiana Record, local reform groups Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch and Coalition for Common Sense]
• Survey of last year’s (i.e. 2016’s) civil justice landscape [Andrew C. Cook, Federalist Society]
• “Wheels come off fundamentally dishonest minibus claim” [John Hyde, Law Gazette (U.K.)]
• “Phoney Lawsuits: How To Sue Your Way Out Of College Debt” [John O’Brien, Legal NewsLine/Forbes] Cold calls: insurers and agents wary of TCPA litigation [Cyril Tuohy, InsuranceNewsNet]
• Reform package introduced in Wisconsin legislature includes changes to discovery, class actions, statute of limitations [Emily Zantow, Courthouse News]

Filed under: Louisiana, problem jurisdictions, Wisconsin