This week, the American Tort Reform Association released their much-anticipated “Legislative HeatCheck” report. This annual report evaluates states based on how effectively each has implemented lawsuit abuse reform for its citizens. 

Passing lawsuit abuse reforms reduces costs for working families and strengthens the business climate for small businesses, making this a key indicator of how effectively lawmakers are improving their states. Given this, it should be no surprise that Georgia is at the front of the pack this year. After all, Governor Kemp and the Georgia legislature delivered historic, lawsuit abuse reforms for the Peach State in April, moving them from a “Judicial Hellhole” to a “Tort Reform Trailblazer”:

Georgia’s progress comes after years of ranking among the nation’s worst “Judicial Hellholes®” by the American Tort Reform Foundation, including two years at the top of the list. The state’s improved ranking in the latest report reflects the prioritization of tort reform by Gov. Kemp and legislative leaders.

As Georgia’s leaders worked to achieve these critical reforms, PACT played a pivotal role in ushering in reform. As Bloomberg noted:

PACT notched a win in April, when Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed tort reform legislation. The law allows funding agreements to be discoverable in court and bans funders from directing the cases they bankroll.

Yet, the biggest winners were everyday Georgia citizens. The passage of SB 68 and SB 69 means that its citizens will save thousands of dollars:

Excessive tort costs result in a $1,415 annual “tort tax” per resident — nearly $5,662 for a family of four. In Atlanta, the tort tax reached $2,180 per person, with Savannah and Augusta residents paying $518 and $769, respectively. These costs have surged more than 27% since 2021 and contributed to the loss of nearly 135,000 jobs and more than $15.6 billion in GDP each year. 

As other states consider lawsuit abuse reforms, Georgia stands as a compelling example of the benefits these reforms can bring when effectively implemented.