Five Years After Deepwater, Victims Still Struggle to Receive Claims

By Robert Ross

04/24/2015

Nearly five years after the disaster, Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch took a close look at where all the money from the BP settlement is going and asked the critical question: Who is benefiting most from the unprecedented class action settlement set up to compensate victims in the aftermath of the 2010 oil spill?

TAGS: BP oil spill, Deepwater Horizon, Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch

Legal Reform in the Background as State Budget Woes Dominate the Start of Legislative Session

By Robert Ross

04/21/2015

The short session, which opened last week and must conclude by June 11th, will be dominated by debate over taxes and spending cuts as legislators look for creative ways to balance the budget.

TAGS: legislative session, Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch, Louisiana Legislature, paycheck protection

Guest Commentary: Oil Spill Settlement Makes Lawyers, Administrators Rich While Disaster Victims Await Payments

By Margaret Viator

03/10/2015

BATON ROUGE, LA- Nearly five years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, a legal watchdog group is calling into question who is benefiting most from the unprecedented class action settlement set up to compensate victims in the aftermath of the 2010 oil spill. “Class action lawsuits are notorious for producing highly...

TAGS: BP oil spill, Deepwater Horizon, Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch, Tort Reform

Guest Commentary: Lawsuit Reform in the 2014 Legislative Session

By Robert Ross

03/18/2014

The Louisiana Legislature kicked off the 2014 regular session last week, beginning a series of discussions about the most important issues facing the state. Already it is clear that lawsuit reform will be front and center in the debate.

TAGS: Bobby Jindal, jury trial threshold, lawsuit reform, Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch, Tort Reform

Poor Legal Climate Leads to Higher Auto Insurance Rates

By Robert Ross

03/22/2013

Louisiana has once again earned the dubious distinction of having the most expensive auto insurance rates in the country.

TAGS: auto insurance, insurance rates, lawsuits, Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch, Tort Reform

Louisiana Lands on “Judicial Hellholes” Watch List Again

By Robert Ross

12/18/2012

With astonishing multi-million dollar verdicts being rendered nearly every other week, and laws and judges that seem to give plaintiffs the upper hand in legal proceedings regardless of the facts of the case—it is no wonder that we’ve become a regular on the Hellholes watch list.

TAGS: American Tort Reform Association, Buddy Caldwell, Litigation Reform, Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch, Melissa Landry, Tort Reform

Louisiana Can Learn a Lot from Texas About Creating Jobs, Cutting Lawsuits

By Editor

10/02/2012

When it comes to the very important issue of legal reform, we are worlds apart. Despite the fact that residents in both Louisiana and Texas share the common goals of creating jobs and cutting down on lawsuit abuse, we have chosen remarkably different paths to address these issues.

TAGS: Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week, lawsuits, Litigation Reform, Louisiana, Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch, Melissa Landry, Texas, Tort Reform

Guest Commentary: Louisiana Attorney General’s Use of Contingency Fee Lawyers Legal?

By Editor

07/12/2012

Is Louisiana’s top law-enforcement officer violating the law by hiring private plaintiffs attorneys to pursue litigation on behalf of the state? That’s the fundamental question raised by the recent actions of Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell.

TAGS: Attorney General, Buddy Caldwell, Contingency Fees, Litigation Reform, Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch

Study Alleges Majority of Legacy Lawsuits Fail to Produce Hard Evidence of Contamination

By Kevin Mooney

03/29/2012

Are the attorneys and plaintiffs who file lawsuits built around oilfield contamination allegations genuinely concerned about environmental damage? Or, are they instead motivated by a loophole in the law that allows for financial awards to be detached from cleanup efforts?

TAGS: American Tort Reform Association, department of natural resources, environment, Legacy Lawsuits, Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch, Louisiana Oil and Gas Association, Sierra Club

Lower Threshold for Jury Trials Could Reduce Louisiana Car Insurance Rates

By Kevin Mooney

11/21/2011

Louisiana’s expensive auto insurance rates are symptomatic of public policy favored by trial lawyers that typically result in anti-business settlements, according to a citizen watchdog group that favors new legislation.

TAGS: Coalition for Common Sense, insurance, jury trial threshold, Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch

A Tax Plan for Our Brighter Future

A Tax Plan for Our Brighter Future paper-digital In Louisiana’s Comeback: A Tax Reform for Our Brighter Future, the Pelican Institute identifies the state’s significant tax problems and proposes a path to set the state in a brighter direction, including flattening the personal and corporate income taxes to 3.5% rates, reducing the number of tax preferences, eliminating...

View Report