Illinois state Rep. Deanne Mazzochi (R-Elmhurst) accused Democrats of contributing to the rise in tort lawsuits. | Facebook/State Representative Deanne Mazzochi
Illinois state Rep. Deanne Mazzochi (R-Elmhurst) accused Democrats of contributing to the rise in tort lawsuits. | Facebook/State Representative Deanne Mazzochi
Illinois State Reps. Deanne Mazzochi (R-Elmhurst) and Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) have criticized an uptick in tort lawsuits in the Prairie State which they believe is an issue both bad for business and the taxpayers.
Tort law is a civil action that protect people who due to negligence or intentional actions were harmed or hurt. According to the American Museum of Tort Law, examples include: assault, defamation, car accidents, medical malpractice, defective products and animal attacks.
Mazzochi accused Democrats of contributing to the rise.
Rep. Dan Ugaste
"Tort law in state statute is incredibly dry, but it has an impact on this state and ultimately your family’s bottom line. In January of this year, during a lame duck session the Illinois House, on a party line vote, passed legislation making it even more lucrative to pursue frivolous lawsuits. Even the governor took issue with the bill and the impact it would have on healthcare and business costs, issuing his first ever full veto. He signed a similar bill later in March," Mazzochi wrote in a Dec. 13 Facebook post. "Understandably, Illinois has climbed up the list of ‘judicial hellholes’ and it’s costing you. When I say the system works for the politically connected at the expense of everyday people, this is exactly what I mean.”
This year, Illinois climbed up to number five on the American Tort Reform Association's "Judicial Hellhole" list. According to The Center Square, each year tort lawsuits costs the state $9 billion in wages and $27.5 billion in economic output. The report also stated that lawsuit abuse equals about $1,049 per Illinois resident.
Ugaste believes it could affect the state's economic growth, and "We need to make changes so that people and businesses locate here, not leave."
"Judicial Hellhole" attributes a spike in tort cases to a 2019 Illinois Supreme Court decision in which plaintiffs did not need to claim they were harmed in Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) cases and could seek civil penalties even if there wasn't any damage done to the plaintiff.
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