Opinion: Illinois Legal Climate Hurts Local Businesses
The owner and operator of a local manufacturing company in Illinois wrote in an op-ed that the state’s small businesses live in fear of costly lawsuits because of the state’s lawsuit climate.
Zach Mottl of Atlas Tool Works wrote in the Daily Journal that “[t]rial lawyers love our state for its generous system that allows them to go fishing for reasons to sue so that they can take home big court winnings or large settlements that pad their own pockets.”
“The trial bar donates heavily to Illinois lawmakers, lawmakers ensure the system remains in place, and so the cycle continues,” Mottl writes. “Unfortunately, everyone else is kicked to the curb. Small businesses are pushed to the brink or shut down, employees are laid off, and consumers pay higher prices when manufacturers must factor in costly legal expenses.”
In 2019 Illinois ranked 50th in ILR’s Lawsuit Climate Survey. While this was its first time in the bottom slot, it hasn’t escaped the bottom ten since 2003.
