L.A. a 'judicial hellhole'

Known as "the bank" by attorneys because of its excessive jury verdicts, Los Angeles County has the sixth-most- unjust civil-court system in the nation, according to an annual report to be released today. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Claiming that the county is one of the most desirable places in the nation to file lawsuits, the Washington, D.C.- based American Tort Reform Foundation listed it as one of seven "judicial hellholes" nationwide.

"Shakedown lawsuits brought against small businesses under the Americans with Disabilities Act and otherwise astonishingly excessive verdicts are again making Los Angeles one of the places to be for personal injury lawyers," said ATRF President Tiger Joyce. "And a troubling number of large asbestos awards and one recent string of lawsuits stemming from a practical joke at a firehouse put the county over the top this year."