Supporters of tort reform won a victory recently as the Missouri Supreme Court blocked an attempt to move a medical malpractice case to St. Louis, which is known to be a very plaintiff-friendly jurisdiction.
"Putting a stop to venue shopping is very important in gaining control of medical liability costs and is central to the debate over tort reform in Missouri," said Joe Woods, regional manager for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI).
"St Louis’ reputation for generous settlements, which attracts plaintiff attorneys from all over the country, has earned it the classification as one of the nation’s worst ‘judicial hellholes’ by the American Tort Reform Association. While we hope this ruling will start a trend within the judicial system of reigning in efforts to venue shop, it is essential that the tort reform legislation advancing through the General Assembly be signed into law."
