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The Institute for Legal Reform shines a light on what is wrong in the legal system. We conduct cutting-edge research and advance pragmatic solutions. We then tirelessly advocate for those solutions with Congress, state legislatures, federal regulators, international policymakers and the courts to effect meaningful change. Read Our Latest Research
Once rare and relatively modest in amount, punitive damages awards are now an outsized and common feature in America’s civil litigation landscape. Over the last half-century, punitive damages awards have become far more frequent and far larger, outstripping inflation and their original purpose of punishing and deterring repugnant conduct. ILR’s…
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Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices laws (UDAPs) are among the most important legal tools that states have when it comes to protecting their consumers. Unfortunately, state attorneys general (AGs) and private litigants are increasingly harnessing UDAPs to pursue their own national and (in some cases) international policy agendas. In…
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A critical link in America’s supply chain is under attack. American trucking firms are facing rapid lawsuit inflation, with the average size of verdicts against trucking firms increasing by 867 percent between 2010 and 2018. At the same time, between 2000 and 2020, the rate of fatal crashes involving a…
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A small number of plaintiffs’ firms are twisting the laudable goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for their own ends. These firms use the law to file thousands of boilerplate claims, many against small businesses, with the goal of extracting quick settlements. Such lawsuits can represent an existential…
Read MoreAmerica has the most costly legal system in the world according to an ILR study, and 87% of American voters view the number of “meritless” lawsuits in the country as a problem. To be sure, the American legal system is complex, and the abuses are occurring on many levels. Please explore our Issues Section to learn more about the various issues impacting our legal system and what ILR is doing to advance reform on many fronts.
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