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SPRINGFIELD – The Cook County court system has dug itself into a “hellhole” according to one Washington D.C. group.
The American Tort Reform Association says Cook County courts are mishandling lawsuits while costing taxpayers millions of dollars.
The tort reform group says Cook County houses 41-percent of the state’s population but is host to 65-percent of the state’s litigation.
That’s because lawyers are flocking to Cook County courts to get favorable decisions for their lawsuits, says Darren McKinney with the tort reform association.
The courts have a reputation of favoring those who sue, at the expense of businesses, McKinney says.
But lawyers who sue in these cases think lawsuits are about people getting their fair share and holding corporations accountable.
Peter Flowers who heads the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association dismisses the tort reform association as a front for corporate interests.
Flowers notes the tort reform association has received funding from a “who’s who” of corporate special interests, including Exxon, State Farm and Geico.
