As Executive Director of Florida CALA, I was disheartened — but not surprised — to read the recent American Tort Reform Association report, “Sanctionable,” spotlighting the mounting toll of systemic lawsuit abuse in America’s civil courts. What’s happening across the country is deeply relevant for Floridians, because the same patterns of excess, exploitation, and inflated litigation have already imposed a real economic burden on our state.
ATRA’s research makes it clear: unchecked fraudulent litigation is not just a theoretical risk. It “drives up costs for all Americans and undermines trust in justice.” In Florida, that erosion of trust and continued economic uncertainty hit home long ago. Florida’s overly litigious climate leaves its residents paying what’s known as the “tort tax”, which affects our businesses and our hard-working communities.
Our own state-level data show how lawsuit abuse has translated into a quietly draining burden. As Florida CALA documented earlier this year, excessive litigation still imposes an average “tort tax” of $1,238 per person — nearly $5,000 for a family of four. That is not a minor cost; it is money that could instead go towards housing, education, or job creation.
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