The American Tort Reform Association recently released its 2019-20 Judicial Hellholes report. The annual report highlights some of the worst-ranking civil justice climates in the country.

Topping the report this year are Philadelphia, California and New York City. Wisconsin neighbors Illinois and Minnesota also made the top ten list, at #5 and #9, respectively.

The report also takes a closer look at three civil justice topics growing across the country: the expansion of public nuisance law and locality litigation, increased employment liability and reduction of arbitration, and growth of privacy and security litigation.

Wisconsin was lauded in last year’s Judicial Hellholes report for positive civil justice reforms, including 2017 Wisconsin Act 235 and the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s Mayo decision. Act 235 – authored by Republican Sens. Tom Tiffany (Hazelhurst) & Dave Craig (Big Bend) and Reps. Mark Born (Beaver Dam) & John Nygren (Marinette) – included landmark reforms to Wisconsin’s rules of procedure regarding discovery and class actions, as well as a nationally recognized, groundbreaking requirement that litigation funding deals be disclosed in civil cases.