Pennsylvania is seeing a staggeringly high number of medical malpractice verdicts with devastating damage awards. Since January of 2023, the number of medical malpractice cases filed in Philadelphia’s notoriously verdict friendly Court of Common Pleas has sharply increased, as have the number of “nuclear” verdicts. The impact this negative trend is having on the Commonwealth’s health care…
Coalition Updates: Business
Time to Put an End to Litigation Tourism
Philadelphia has long held the reputation of being one of the worst “judicial hellhole’s” in the country thanks to its notoriously plaintiff friendly, high-verdict court system. A key factor in this designation is Philadelphia’s Complex Litigation Center (CLC), which was created in 1992 to handle complex mass tort cases and quickly became a beacon for trial…
PA House Passes Legislation that Will Further Strain State’s Health Care System
In late June, the state House of Representatives moved forward with legislation (HB 106) that will impose impossible staffing ratios that will put some hospitals out of business and raise costs for others. This legislation would only exacerbate the strain health systems across the Commonwealth are already facing due to the state’s updated medical malpractice venue rule.…
State Budget Remains Unfinished While Civil Justice Under Siege in the House
Fractures between the legislative and executive branches of state government continue to create roadblocks in finalizing the 2023-24 state budget. The fiscal year officially ended on June 30, but lawmakers have failed to reach agreement on key policies leading to finger pointing and an uncertain path forward. A budget was eventually passed but due to…
U.S. Supreme Court Ruling Upholds PA’s Jurisdiction by Consent Scheme
In a split 5-4 decision the U.S. Supreme Court recently overturned a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling regarding the state’s “jurisdiction by consent” statute, in the process opening the flood gates for more out-of-state plaintiffs to bring suit in high-verdict jurisdictions. By way of background, Pennsylvania’s “jurisdiction by consent” statute requires every company that registers to…
PCCJR Calls for Immediate Review of Venue Rule Impact
Nearly six months after the medical malpractice venue rule went into effect, the Pennsylvania Coalition for Civil Justice Reform (PCCJR) has formally requested an immediate review by the state Supreme Court’s Civil Procedural Rules Committee on the impact of the rule change. In two separate correspondences with the Committee, PCCJR highlighted data showing a sharp increase in…