PA Courts Top List of ‘Worst Judicial Hellholes’
HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania’s notorious legal climate has once again led to the Commonwealth being ranked as the nation’s worst judicial hellhole. The American Tort Reform Foundation today released its 2024–2025 “Judicial Hellholes®” report, which identifies the nation’s most problematic courts. In this year’s report, the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court take the top spot.
“This year’s Judicial Hellholes report highlights a significant and growing problem in the Commonwealth,” said Pennsylvania Coalition for Civil Justice Reform Executive Director Curt Schroder. “The state’s increasingly litigious environment combined with the Philadelphia court’s propensity to award nuclear verdicts serve as a red flag to job creators and potential investors. Plaintiff attorney’s wallets are bulging with cash as they bask in tidings of comfort and joy this holiday season. Yet businesses, hospitals, doctors, and taxpayers are finding that their presents under the tree have been pilfered by courts in the middle of the night.”
Among the issues that led to Pennsylvania’s ignominious ranking is an increase in nuclear verdicts – particularly out of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas which recently issued a $2.25 billion verdict. Additional factors include the Supreme Court’s rescission of the medical liability venue rule which has led to a significant increase of med mal case filings in Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s trend of expanding liability through its rulings – including duplicative damages, expanded product liability and the creation of novel theories of liability.
The negative impact of Pennsylvanian’s legal environment can be felt by taxpayers. In addition to driving up prices, data shows that residents pay an annual ‘tort tax’ of more than $1,431, while more than 171,000 jobs are lost annually as a result of excessive tort costs.
“Whether you call it a judicial hellhole or a plaintiff attorney’s paradise, Pennsylvania’s legal climate needs a reset,” added Schroder. “As we look towards a new legislative session, lawmakers must make lawsuit abuse reform a priority. It’s time to rebalance the scales of justice in the Commonwealth by passing Rep. Torren Ecker’s package of reforms to restore order and fairness in our courts.”
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The Pennsylvania Coalition for Civil Justice Reform is a 501(c )(6), not-for-profit, nonpartisan advocacy organization comprised of a diverse group of organizations and individuals committed to bringing fairness to Pennsylvania’s courts by raising awareness of civil justice issues and advocating for legal reform. Additional information is available at http://www.paforciviljusticereform.org.
