Patrick A. Salvi II: Kaufman letter unfairly criticizes Illinois laws

The following letter to the editor by ITLA President Patrick A. Salvi II appeared in The Southern on October 1, 2022.

The September 9th letter from Charles Kaufman (Voice of the Reader: Illinoisans are being duped) unfairly criticizes laws designed to protect people as a major problem for businesses in Illinois.

Kaufman references a new law that incentives timely resolutions of meritorious claims, lessens the burden on the court system, saves taxpayers’ money and ensures those who have been injured have the means to put their lives back together.

The law is about fundamental fairness. For the small number of cases where it applies, individuals who were harmed will be more fully and fairly compensated. Similar laws exist in 46 other states.

By removing the financial incentive for deep-pocketed corporations and insurance companies (the same entities who fund the front group responsible for the “Judicial Hellhole” report) from dragging out claims, cases will be resolved earlier. Without it, these companies profit by delaying just compensation to injured people or their families.

While we should strive to do better, the statewide unemployment rate is 4.4 percent, approaching the 2019 all-time annual low of 4 percent before the pandemic caused so much economic disruption. In Illinois, workers’ compensation costs for employers have dropped to fifteenth lowest in the nation, and claims have declined by 36 percent since 2011.

The letter unfortunately distorts the state’s civil justice system by placing the blame for businesses problems on our legal system. The reality is, Illinois remains a strong state for business. Illinoisans should be proud we have a legal system that gives people who aren’t wealthy or well-connected the opportunity to have their day in court.

Patrick A. Salvi II

President, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association