Tort Reform Group Labels One N.J. County A ‘Judicial Hellhole’

Atlantic County, N.J. has earned a dubious ranking: It’s one of six “judicial hellholes” nationwide, according to one tort reform group.

“Personal injury lawyers seem to have gained a monopoly in Atlantic County,” declares the American Tort Reform Association in its recently released “Judicial Hellholes 2007” report.

According to the group, Atlantic County is “known for particularly plaintiff-friendly laws, admitting junk science in court and hosting lawsuits from all over the country against their state’s own economic driver, the pharmaceutical industry.”

The Vioxx litigation, which took place in Atlantic County, was cited as the prime example for the ranking.

It is the first time Atlantic County has landed on the group’s list.

Rounding out the top six are South Florida, Rio Grande Valley and Gulf Coast, Texas, Cook County, Ill., West Virginia and Clark County, Nevada.

Source: American Tort Reform Association