Last month, the Pennsylvania Coalition for Civil Justice Reform (PCCJR) called for fair, neutral venue rules for every civil case. At a press conference outside Philadelphia City Hall, PCCJR Executive Director Curt Schroder was joined by State Senator Cris Dush as well as representatives from Stop the Lawsuit Tax, The Pennsylvania Motor Trucking Association, and the Pennsylvania Medical Society. The attendees advocated for lawsuits to be heard in counties with a genuine connection to the dispute, where the events occurred and witnesses and records are located. A video recording of the press conference can be viewed here.
The incentive behind venue shopping is clear: attorneys look for courts where juries have returned the largest awards. Philadelphia’s concentration of nuclear verdicts makes it a destination for cases that may have little connection to the city.
During his remarks Schroder expanded on the need for clear and predictable revenue rules. “Every civil defendant should be treated under the same fair venue principles, regardless of the type of lawsuit. PCCJR urged a neutral standard requiring a genuine connection between the case and the county where it is tried. Attorneys’ pursuit of the highest possible verdict cannot come at the expense of judicial fairness.
Venue may be a procedural rule, but it has real policy consequences. Steering cases toward courts because of their verdict history, rather than their connection to the dispute, undermines confidence in the civil justice system. The concern is a system in which the location of the courthouse matters more than the facts of the case!
Fair venue rules protect access to the courts while giving civil defendants a consistent legal framework. Venue shopping increases litigation, insurance, health care, and operating costs. Those costs are eventually paid by employers, workers, consumers, and families, making life less affordable across Pennsylvania.
No one disputes that a plaintiff deserves their day in court. But lets give every party a fair day in the right court!