A new report out of Florida shows that the number of “nuclear” verdicts steadily declined after tort reform legislation was signed into law in 2023. “Nuclear” verdicts refer to jury awards exceeding $10 million, often in personal injury lawsuits. A “thermonuclear” verdict awards a plaintiff over $100 million and up to $1 billion.

According to the report:

Marathon researchers found that once the legislation was in place, Florida went from being the second-most state for “nuclear” verdicts to seventh place, suggesting that the reform had affected the size of awards.

After Governor DeSantis signed House Bill 387, the state saw the amount awarded through lawsuits steadily decline across industries.

In 2023, post-reform, Florida awarded a total of $491 million, $316 million of which was awarded in state court verdicts, and $175 million by federal courts.

Between 2009 and 2023, Florida juries awarded a whopping $33.19 billion — the top industries included the tobacco, trucking, real estate, and automobile industries — with awards spread out over 175 verdicts.