The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas has once again been named one of the country’s worst ‘judicial hellholes.’ The court ranked 5th worst in the American Tort Reform Foundation’s 2025-26 list.
The report cited several issues plaguing the Philadelphia Court, including nuclear verdicts. The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas was home to two of the ‘Top 10 largest corporate verdicts’ in 2024. The court’s reputation of being a hotbed for nuclear verdicts has led more private sector businesses to settle out of court, rather than run the risk of being on the hook for huge, jackpot paydays for plaintiffs and their attorneys.
As noted in the report, “The City of Brotherly Love’s reputation as a Judicial Hellhole® has spread far and wide, drawing plaintiffs’ lawyers from across the country eager to file cases there, while prompting defendants to settle at almost any cost to avoid the massive nuclear verdicts® for which the court has become notorious.”
This reputation of being a destination for nuclear verdicts is exacerbated by the repeal of the rule prohibiting venue shopping in medical malpractice cases. Since the rule has been rescinded, there has been a significant surge in the number of med mal cases filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas jurisdiction.
The report also highlights how Pennsylvania’s civil justice environment is ripe for abuse – leading to increased costs for business and taxpayers alike. As we previously noted in a prior article, ride share company Uber has filed a civil RICO suit in the Eastern Distric t of Pennsylvania against the law firm of Simon & Simon as well as select medical providers alleging that the law firm formulated a scheme to funnel claimants – many with minor or no injuries – to a network of preselected, medical providers in an effort to drive up insurance claims.
Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court was also included on ATRA’s 2025-26 ‘Judicial Hellhole’ watch list. Previously at the top of the Hellholes list, the Supreme Court demonstrated a more reasoned approach in 2025. It ruled favorably on several cases important to business and health care.
Among other notable cases this year, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court reinstated a lower court’s decision to transfer a major motorcoach accident case to Westmoreland County on forum non conveniens grounds, rejecting the Superior Court’s attempt to impose a new burdensome “key witness affidavit” requirement. The Court held that requiring defendants to identify specific witnesses and detail their trial testimony so early in litigation is an “unrealistic and excessively stringent burden” inconsistent with established precedent
PCCJR is actively working to reverse detrimental policies that have expanded liability in the Commonwealth and also created more opportunities for abuse of the legal system.