The American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) today released its annual Judicial Hellholes® report, and once again Wisconsin received good news from the report’s “Points of Light” section.

The ATRA report (p. 39) recognized Wisconsin for enacting 2011 Wisconsin Act 219, which eliminated punitive and compensatory damages under the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act (WFEA). Act 219 repealed 2009 Wisconsin Act 20, which for the first time added punitive and compensatory damages to WFEA. (Click here for more information about 2011 Wisconsin Act 219.)

“We’re proud that for the second year in a row, instead of being singled out as a judicial hellhole, ATRA has identified Wisconsin as a leader when it comes to civil liability reform,” said Bill G. Smith, President of the Wisconsin Civil Justice Council (WCJC) and State Director of the National Federation of Independent Business.

WCJC, which is a broad coalition of business groups, was the driving force behind enactment of Act 219.

“The past two years have been extraordinary in terms of the quantity and quality of civil liability reforms enacted in Wisconsin,” added Smith. “We are hopeful that the Wisconsin Legislature and Gov. Scott Walker continue to make civil liability reform a priority to help create jobs and improve the state’s economy,” said Smith.

Civil liability reforms have a direct impact on improving a state’s business climate. Wisconsin recently moved up seven spots – from No. 22 to No. 15 – in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s report, 2012 State Liability Systems Survey, Lawsuit Climate: Ranking the States.

The civil liability reforms enacted last session also helped Wisconsin move to No. 13 according to Site Selection Magazine’s “Top U.S. Business Climates” survey. The study listed a state’s legal climate as a top issue for corporate executives when deciding to where to locate its business.