The allure of California’s golden sand, flashbulb-perfect movie stars, and laid-back way of life draws nearly 100,000 new residents to the state every year. Some of them will arrive having been unknowingly injured in their original state by the acts of nationwide companies—a defective hip replacement joint installed in Florida; a malignancy traced to asbestos exposure in Texas; a prenatal fetal deformation from improperly disposed chemicals in Ohio. They might not discover their injury for months or decades.
But when California’s newest residents discover their weakened leg, hacking cough, or disabled child, they’re going to do the American thing—sue. California is the world’s eighth-largest economy, so most large companies manufacturing artificial joints, asbestos, chemicals, and a host of other products have facilities and/or sell products in California. And if plaintiffs are California residents by the time they discover their problem, they’re going to file suit in California. The state is not considered particularly friendly to corporate defendants, earning a 2012 ranking by the American Tort Reform Foundation as the nation’s second-worst “Judicial Hellhole” for perceived pro-plaintiff laws and large jury awards.
