Don Brunell 6/9/11

Texas leads the nation in tort reform - and jobs

We’ve all heard the stories.

An elderly woman is awarded $2.7 million after spilling McDonald’s coffee in her lap. A Washington, D.C. judge sues a local dry cleaner for $54 million for losing his pants. A neighbor successfully sues two teenage girls handing out free cookies, claiming they triggered an anxiety attack when they knocked on her door.

These stories make the headlines, but each year tens of thousands of anonymous lawsuits choke our court systems €” and we all pay the price. The Pacific Research Institute estimates that lawsuits cost o...