Tort reformers suggest that civil lawsuits in Illinois are out of control, what are the real facts?

Tort reformers, individuals aimed at curbing Illinois citizens’ access to the civil court system and preventing catastrophically injured victims from holding those that harm them accountable, routinely tout a supposed state-wide lawsuit crisis in support of obtaining their goals.

The real statistics pertaining to civil lawsuits in Illinois completely debunk tort reformers’ claims and illustrate the fallacy of this movement:

Civil Case filings in Illinois have dropped 33% from 2010 to 2014.

Medical Malpractice filings in Illinois have dropped 43% since 2003.

Cook County Civil Case filings dropped by 40% from 2010 to 2014.

Medical Malpractice Cases make up only about 0.2% of all civil cases in Illinois.

Court statistics do show what groups actually sue each other the most frequently:

Tort cases consist of roughly 7% of all civil cases in Illinois.

Contract cases (mainly premised upon businesses suing other businesses or people) make up approximately 64% of all civil cases in Illinois.

The data regarding Illinois lawsuits is abundantly clear. This state is not in the midst of a civil lawsuit crisis. Quite to the contrary, civil lawsuits are in decline and have been for years.

Do not be fooled by tort reformers and their attempts to connect Illinois’ struggling economy to personal injury lawsuits. Their arguments would not hold up in court, which is exactly why they want to close the courthouse doors to you.