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Civil Lawsuit Filings are Dropping

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Insurance companies and front groups funded by big corporations have been manufacturing mythical “lawsuit crises” to justify their pressure on state and federal government to restrict the right of injured parties in our country to obtain justice. In fact, the numbers show that there is simply no truth to the claim that there is a litigation crisis in our State or across our country.

Civil lawsuit filings have dropped significantly in Illinois:
-Civil case filings have dropped 47% since 2010.
-Medical malpractice lawsuit filings are down 32% since 2003.

Across the Nation filings are down:
-Civil case filings in state courts dropped 7% from 2008-2012.
-Tort cases (injury cases) make up only about 4% of all civil caseloads.
-Contract cases (predominantly businesses suing other businesses or other people for money) make up 64% of the civil caseload.

The nonsense peddled by those in office and the groups representing big corporations and insurance companies about the number of injury lawsuits, or slamming attorneys who step forward to get justice for their injured clients and families, is not factually grounded. People should not be hoodwinked by the ongoing efforts of these folks to reduce the rights of injured parties to obtain justice.