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A report by The American Tort Reform Association said businesses
and insurers have filed nearly 300 RICO lawsuits since 2024,
claiming that organized fraud rings allegedly involve law firms,
litigation funders, medical providers and others.
Phil Melin, executive director of Illinois Citizens Against
Lawsuit Abuse, said different entities allegedly worked together
to fraudulently extract litigation settlements.
“It's kind of a counterattack, but these businesses have filed
lawsuits against some of these abusive law firms and have said,
‘Listen, these guys are kind of like organized crime,’” Melin
told The Center Square.
American Tort Reform Association Vice President and Counsel
Lauren Sheets Jarrell said the report flagged asbestos cases in
Illinois.
“These patients were unable to recall where they were exposed to
asbestos or how they may have come in contact with it. They were
coached on what to say and to perjure themselves,” Sheets
Jarrell told The Center Square.
Courts dismissed about 96% out of more than 400 cases against
one manufacturer.
“When you have courts filled up with 430 frivolous lawsuits on
bogus claims, that puts everybody else, like legitimately harmed
people or people who need contract disputes solved or whatever
the legitimate things are, they have to wait longer,” Melin
said.
Melin said Illinoisans pay an estimated annual tort tax of
$2,000.
“That's why your insurance keeps going up every year, your car
insurance, your property insurance, everything goes up. That's
the tort tax that you're paying because we have a state that
tolerates and encourages lawsuit abuse,” Melin said.
Melin said property and casualty insurance rates decreased in
Florida after the state implemented tort reform.
Sheets Jarrell said the RICO cases remain in process, but she
hopes Illinois courts will take a serious look.
Madison, St. Clair and Cook counties together hold the #7 spot
on American Tort Reform Foundation’s 2025-2026 Judicial
Hellholes® list. Madison and St. Clair ranked first and second
for the most asbestos filings in 2025. Cook County was #5.
Sheets Jarrell said the report did not flag Illinois for alleged
cases involving law firms, medical providers and immigrants.
“We've certainly seen that as the case in New York, where some
of these immigrants have been targeted to do staged
trip-and-fall accidents or construction accidents, but we have
not seen that in Illinois,” Sheets Jarrell said.
Chris Wade contributed to this story
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