We're Number 6! We're Number 6!

    In 2007, when The American Tort Reform Association published it's last report on Judicial Hellholes, I sarcastically lamented that California didn't even make the cut (although Los Angeles Superior Court made the "watch list.")

    Well, worry no more.  The new list is out, and Los Angeles is now number 6, "joining perennials in West Virginia, Florida and Illinois, along with recent newcomers in Nevada and New Jersey."  Says ATRA:

The county long known as "the bank" has remained one of the most desirable places in the nation to file lawsuits. Los Angeles this year produced a startling number of large asbestos awards. And in one recent string of lawsuits stemming from a practical joke, just about everyone walked away with a payment.

    The Court, however, begs to differ:

Los Angeles Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini said the report is based on an "entirely subjective series of observations."

"We receive 1 million new nontraffic filings per year," he said. "In a court with that caseload, it's inevitable some people will be unhappy with the results of their litigation."

    While no other California courts make the list, Orange County, once considered among the most conservative counties in the state, is now cited as a "court to watch."  Apparently, this is based on the filing of a number of Botox cases and the ousting of a judge for fibbing about some business travel.