Report Highlights Louisiana’s Tort System as Barrier to Social Mobility

A report published by a Washington, D.C.-based think tank ranks Louisiana as the worst state for social mobility, and links the state’s lawsuit abuse climate as a factor for why many residents never get ahead.

Archbridge Institute published the report, “Building On Momentum: Louisiana’s Path to Mobility,” with an index that ranks where states perform at enabling citizens to achieve social mobility. Archbirdge defines social mobility as “opportunity to better oneself and those around them” in the pursuit of achievement, aspirations, purpose, and skills development.

States in the southeast and south central regions dominate the bottom of the Texas is No. 45, followed by No. 46 Georgia, No. 47 Alabama, No. 48 Arkansas, No. 49 Mississippi and No. 50 Louisiana.

Utah is ranked No. 1 for social mobility, joined at the top by No. 2 Minnesota, No. 3 Montana, No. 4 Delaware and No. 5 Vermont.

Louisiana’s position at the bottom of the index is driven by the state’s poor tort system, the report says. Louisiana ranked last in trial judges’ impartiality, and in the bottom two for trial judges’ competence and the quality of the appellate review process, resulting in a total cost per capita is over $4,000, or 3% of the state’s GDP, according to Archbridge’s analysis.

Archbridge recommends that Louisiana advance more tort reforms, like the state has done to reform tax, education and regulation.

Louisiana lawmakers last year already passed a package of auto and property insurance reforms that aim to cut down on social verdicts and bring more insurers to the state.

The report urges Louisiana to go farther by reforming the state’s pure comparative negligence law, which allows for someone to potentially recover damages even when they were largely at fault.

Topics Louisiana