ILR presents the seventh edition of 101 Ways: A User’s Guide to Promoting Fair and Effective Civil Justice. As with prior editions of 101 Ways, this paper covers a broad range of civil justice priority issues, offering policymakers and reform advocates a robust set of options for improving the civil legal environment in their states.
The reforms in this edition are organized around five central pillars:
- Address Over-Regulation and Over-Enforcement
- Safeguard the Integrity of the Litigation Process
- Promote Rational Liability Rules
- Improve Product Liability Law
- Address Damages “Run Wild”
This user’s guide to state legal reforms considers key issues confronting policymakers. The new questions answered in this edition of 101 Ways include:
- How can states prevent private plaintiffs’ attorneys and local governments from misusing public nuisance law to address complex public policy issues that are squarely in the purview of legislatures?
- How can legislatures address “nuclear verdicts” that often result from trial tactics that manipulate and inflame juries?
- How can states discourage plaintiffs’ lawyers from naming businesses that have little or no connection to the litigation as defendants?
