Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch Statement on 2025-2026 Judicial Hellholes® Report Release
Baton Rouge, La. –As announced earlier today by the American Tort Reform Foundation, Louisiana has once again made the infamous Judicial Hellholes® list. This year, Louisiana's coastal litigation is ranked number 4, and the state as a whole has been placed on the national watch list. While lawmakers enacted legal reforms this year, significant work remains to address Louisiana’s overly litigious climate and create a more stable, predictable environment for economic growth, while protecting the pocketbooks of hardworking residents.
The unprecedented coastal lawsuits target energy companies alleging environmental damage for federally permitted activities conducted decades ago. The eye-popping first judgment in the queue of 40-plus lawsuits was handed down earlier this year, in a nearly $745 million verdict against Chevron. These kinds of nuclear verdicts® send the wrong message to current and future investors, cementing Louisiana's reputation as one of the worst places to do business in the country. These lawsuits lack legal basis, inflict economic harm, and should not be heard in state courts, where the Louisiana trial bar exerts an outsize influence. In fact, these lawsuits are so egregious that even the White House, the U.S. Supreme Court, and a former U.S. Attorney General have weighed in to object. Louisiana’s citizens will be on the wrong side of this “lawsuit lottery” if this suit is upheld and others move forward at the state level.
It is no secret that the costs of lawsuit abuse are felt by all Louisianans. We need far-reaching comprehensive legal reforms to address the nearly 40,000 jobs lost in Louisiana and the more than $1000 hidden lawsuit tax paid by every single resident. A set of quick fixes in one legislative session is a positive step, but Louisiana must join other states in continually adopting reforms to capitalize on economic opportunities and address consumer needs.
In a prime example of how litigation costs are passed down, the ongoing saga of staged accidents involving big trucks has expanded. In addition to multiple indictments in the Orleans area, a new scheme was uncovered in St. Martin Parish earlier this year resulting in an arrest by Louisiana State Police. This is exactly the kind of environment that drives insurance costs up and existing trucking businesses out of the state.
These are all contributing factors to the poor perception of Louisiana’s legal climate and its place as a fixture on the Judicial Hellholes® list.
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About Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch (LLAW)
Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch (LLAW) is a high-impact watchdog group with nearly 20,000 supporters across the state dedicated to fixing Louisiana’s broken legal system through transparency, accountability, and lawsuit reform. Visit us on Facebook, Twitter and www.llaw.org.
