The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform recently ranked Wisconsin as the 13th best litigation climate in the country.
The high ranking in fairness and reasonableness of the state’s liability system comes after the state legislature passed significant tort reforms in 2017 Act 235, led by Rep. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam), Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette), Sen. Dave Craig (R-Big Bend) and Sen. Tom Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst). The legislation included common-sense reforms such as how to handle electronic documents and to address the high transactional cost of litigation. Act 235 also made Wisconsin the first state in the nation to require third party litigation funding transparency.
In the 2019 Lawsuit Climate Survey, Wisconsin jumped seven spots from 20th to the 13th best ranked liability system in the country. Wisconsin beat neighboring states Minnesota (20th), Michigan (33rd), and Illinois (50th). After passing the class action reforms in Act 235, Wisconsin also achieved a top-ten ranking in treatment of class action suits and mass consolidation suits in the 2019 Survey. Wisconsin was ranked 27th in this category in 2017.