Florida’s lawsuit climate ranked 46th out of 50 in a new national survey released on September 18, 2019, by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR). The
city of Miami ranked among the ten worst jurisdictions in the nation. The 2019 Lawsuit Climate Survey was conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform. The poor perception of Florida’s legal climate is critical because 89 percent of survey participants—an all-time high—said a state’s lawsuit environment is likely to impact their company’s decisions about where to locate or do business. The survey comes at the same time the Florida legislature has made strides toward improving the lawsuit climate. Last April, the Florida legislature passed legal reform bills aimed at curbing rampant insurance fraud. In May, the state Supreme Court finally adopted a rule to keep junk science out of Florida courtrooms—already law in 40 other states and in federal courts.
